Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Dec 28;12(1):218.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12010218.

An Investigation of the Association between 3D Spinal Alignment and Fibromyalgia

Amal Ahbouch  1 , Ibrahim M Moustafa  1   2   3 , Tamer Shousha  1   2   3 , Ashokan Arumugam  1   2 , Paul Oakley  4   5   6 , Deed E Harrison  4
Affiliations

An Investigation of the Association between 3D Spinal Alignment and Fibromyalgia

Amal Ahbouch et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common condition lacking strong diagnostic criteria; these criteria continue to evolve as more and more studies are performed to explore it. This investigation sought to identify whether participants with FMS have more frequent and larger postural/spinal displacements in comparison to a matched control group without the condition of FMS. A total of 67 adults (55 females) out of 380 participants with FMS were recruited. Participants with FMS were sex- and age-matched with 67 asymptomatic participants (controls) without FMS. We used a three-dimensional (3D) postural assessment device (Formetric system) to analyze five posture variables in each participant in both groups: (1) thoracic kyphotic angle, (2) trunk imbalance, (3) trunk inclination, (4) lumbar lordotic angle, and (5) vertebral rotation. In order to determine whether 3D postural measures could predict the likelihood of a participant having FMS, we applied the matched-pairs binary logistic regression analysis. The 3D posture measures identified statistically and clinically significant differences between the FMS and control groups for each of the five posture variables measured (p < 0.001). For three out of five posture measurements assessed, the binary logistic regression identified there was an increased probability of having FMS with an increased: (1) thoracic kyphotic angle proportional odds ratio [Prop OR] = 1.76 (95% CI = 1.03, 3.02); (2) sagittal imbalance Prop OR = 1.54 (95% CI = 0.973, 2.459); and (3) surface rotation Prop OR = 7.9 (95% CI = 1.494, 41.97). We identified no significant probability of having FMS for the following two postural measurements: (1) coronal balance (p = 0.50) and (2) lumbar lordotic angle (p = 0.10). Our study’s findings suggest there is a strong relationship between 3D spinal misalignment and the diagnosis of FMS. In fact, our results support that thoracic kyphotic angle, sagittal imbalance, and surface rotation are predictors of having FMS.

Keywords: fibromyalgia; formetric analysis; posture; prediction; regression analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

P.A.O. is a paid consultant for CBP NonProfit, Inc. D.E.H. teaches rehabilitation methods and distributes products for patient rehabilitation that use posture analysis similar to that used in this manuscript. All the other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustrative example for the Formetric report.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Participant flow chart.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Apkarian A.V. Definitions of Nociception, Pain, and Chronic Pain with Implications Regarding Science and Society. Neurosci. Lett. 2019;702:1–2. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.11.039. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chinn S., Caldwell W., Gritsenko K. Fibromyalgia Pathogenesis and Treatment Options Update. Curr. Pain Headache Rep. 2016;20:25. doi: 10.1007/s11916-016-0556-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arnold L.M., Bennett R.M., Crofford L.J., Dean L.E., Clauw D.J., Goldenberg D.L., Fitzcharles M.A., Paiva E.S., Staud R., Sarzi-Puttini P., et al. AAPT Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia. J. Pain. 2019;20:611–628. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2018.10.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wolfe F., Clauw D.J., Fitzcharles M.A., Goldenberg D.L., Häuser W., Katz R.L., Mease P.J., Russell A.S., Russell I.J., Walitt B. 2016 Revisions to the 2010/2011 Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria. Semin. Arthritis Rheum. 2016;46:319–329. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.08.012. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jahan F., Nanji K., Qidwai W., Qasim R. Oman Medical Specialty Board Fibromyalgia Syndrome: An Overview of Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Management. Oman Med. J. 2012;27:192. doi: 10.5001/omj.2012.44. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources