Fibromyalgia patients are more likely to have tingling and weakness in their legs and arms, poor balance and other neurological symptoms according to a new study conducted at the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Institute at Harborview, Seattle.

Our friend, Timothy Spaulding, a Top Health Blogger for the Arthritis Community on Wellsphere and author of the Current Arthritis News and Research Blog explains in his recent article about Neurologic Signs and Fibromyalgia.

The research team studied 166 fibromyalgia patients and 66 people without the condition. All of the participants were examined by a neurologist and they completed a survey on their neurological symptoms. There were 29 neurological categories that were tested.

The results showed that the fibromyalgia group had:

· Significantly more neurologic symptoms in 27 of the 29 categories than the control group.

· Greater dysfunction in certain nerves in the brain.

· More “sensory” problems, motor abnormalities and gait problems.

Here are some of the biggest differences:

· Sensitivity to light, or “photophobia,” which was observed in 70 percent of fibromyalgia patients but in only 6 percent of the controls.

· Poor balance, which was seen in 63 percent of fibromyalgia patients but only 4 percent of controls.

· Weakness and tingling in the arms or legs, seen in more than 50% of fibromyalgia patients but in only around 4 percent of those without the condition.

Spaulding explains that these findings support several prior studies which appear to confirm that fibromyalgia is a “real” condition and that there may be a “neuroanatomical” cause to the disease.

The findings of the study were published in the latest issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.

To read more about this study, check out Timothy Spaulding’s full article here and other interesting topics on his Current Arthritis News and Research Blog.