Managing Chronic Pain with Fibromyalgia

"This study represents the fact that pelvic pain patients, a subset of them, have characteristics of fibromyalgia," Harris says. "Not only do they have widespread pain, but also they have brain markers indistinguishable from fibromyalgia patients.”

These findings are incredibly important, as it completely changes how doctors may be looking at pain. If the same parts of the brain that are affected by this MAPP study are found in patients with fibromyalgia, it may mean that doctors need to look at new ways to treat chronic pain.

"We think that this type of study will help treat these patients because if they have a central nerve biological component to their disorder, they're much more likely to benefit from targets that affect the central nervous system rather than from treatments that are aimed at the pelvic region," Harris says.