Why fatigue accompanies pain

[Guest guest]

Why fatigue accompanies pain

April 15th, 2008 by Brassaw

Why are more women, than men, diagnosed with chronic pain, chronic

fatigue, and fibromyalgia? Approximately, 94% of people with chronic

fatigue report muscle pain. Nearly, 75% of people reporting chronic

widespread musculoskeletal pain report having fatigue. Women are the

majority of patients reporting these symptoms.

Katheleen Sluka, PhD, professor Graduate Program in Physical Therapy

and Rehabilitation Science, University of Irvine Roy J. and Lucille

A. Carver College of Medicine, found that a protein involved in

muscle pain works in conjunction with the male hormone testosterone

to protect against muscle fatigue.

Sluka, using animal studies, found the differences in fatigue

between males and females depends on both the presence of

testosterone and the activation of ASIC3 (an acid-activated ion

channel protein that is involved in musculoskeletal pain). This

suggests that they are interacting somehow to protect against

fatigue, which may explain some of the differences we see in chronic

pain conditions that include fatigue and why it occurs more often in

women.

http://www.disabilityhappens.com/why-fatigue-accompanies-pain.html

Source: FMS Community Newsletter #119