PAIN
Volume 109, Issue 3 , Pages 497-499, June 2004

Exercise lowers pain threshold in chronic fatigue syndrome

  • Alan Whiteside

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Clinical Physics, Institute of Neurological Sciences, South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust, Glasgow, UK
    • ,
  • Stig Hansen

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Clinical Physics, Institute of Neurological Sciences, South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust, Glasgow, UK
    • ,
  • Abhijit Chaudhuri

      Affiliations

    • Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurological Sciences, South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow G51 4TF, UK
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +44-141-201-2492; fax: +44-141-201-2993

Received 17 December 2003; received in revised form 17 February 2004; accepted 23 February 2004.

AIB-16777

Abstract 

Post-exertional muscle pain is an important reason for disability in patients who are diagnosed to have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). We compared changes in pain threshold in five CFS patients with five age and sex matched controls following graded exercise. Pain thresholds, measured in the skin web between thumb and index finger, increased in control subjects with exercise while it decreased in the CFS subjects. Increased perception of pain and/or fatigue after exercise may be indicative of a dysfunction of the central anti-nociceptive mechanism in CFS patients.

Keywords:  Chronic fatigue syndrome, Exercise, Pain threshold

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PII: S0304-3959(04)00121-6

doi:10.1016/j.pain.2004.02.029

PAIN
Volume 109, Issue 3 , Pages 497-499, June 2004

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