A study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism (June 2002) demonstrated that the pain experienced by fibromyalgia patients is real and measurable using functional MRI (fMRI), an advanced imaging method that shows brain activity in real time.
Researchers compared the brain scans of 16 fibromyalgia patients with those of 16 healthy controls. A piston-controlled device delivered precisely calibrated, rapidly pulsing pressure to the base of each subject’s left thumbnail. Pressures were individually set ahead of time so that both painful and non-painful levels could be applied during the scan.
The results were striking:
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Fibromyalgia patients experienced significant pain from mild pressure.
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Their fMRI scans showed strong activation in the brain regions responsible for processing pain.
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Control subjects tolerated the same pressure with minimal discomfort and far less brain activation.
These findings provided clear, objective evidence that fibromyalgia pain is not imagined—it is rooted in measurable changes within the central nervous system.
