Constipation in patients with myofascial pain syndrome as important aspect for clinical and nutritional treatment: A case-control study

Abstract

A B S T R A C T ObjectiveTo identify the occurrence of constipation in patients with myofascial pain syndrome and to correlate these disorders with the clinical and nutritional variables. MethodsThis report describes a case-control study performed with 98 adults of both sexs, including 49 patients and 49 individuals without pain. The intensity of the reported pain was evaluated using the Pain Visual Analog Scale, which provided a simple and efficient measurement of pain intensity consisting of a 10cm horizontal line with Revista de NutriçãoRev. Nutri., Campinas, 30(5):567-581, set./out., 2017 https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-98652017000500003 568 JA BARROS-NETO et al.the ends marked "absence of pain" and "worst possible pain". The occurrence of constipation was evaluated using the Rome III criteria. A multivariate linear regression was proposed to investigate risk factors between the frequency of bowel movements per week and independent variables this study. ResultsThe mean ages of the patients and controls were 45.9 (7.6) years and 41.2 (12.2) years, respectively. The intensity of the reported pain showed a mean of 7.3 (1.6) points. The likelihood of exhibiting constipation was 4.5 times higher in the patients than in the controls (p=0.001). The number of stools per week was negatively correlated with the intensity of the reported pain (r=-0.613, p<0.001). The use of benzodiazepines was negatively correlated with the frequency of bowel movements per week, while the use of muscle relaxants appeared to increase the frequency of defecation when combined with the use of benzodiazepines and adjusted for the intake of fiber, water and sexs (p=0.037). ConclusionConstipation was a frequent nosological entity in this patient population and the persistence of a change in intestinal motility showed a significant correlation with the pain intensity and low water intake. The reduction of the number of stools per week seems to be associated with the use of benzodiazepines.Keywords: Chronic pain. Constipation. Myofascial pain syndromes. (r=-0,613, p<0,001 R E S U M O Objetivo Identificar a ocorrência de constipação em pacientes com síndrome dolorosa miofascial e correlacionar essa desordem da motilidade intestinal com variáveis clínicas e nutricionais. Métodos Trata-se de um estudo de caso-controle, realizado com 98 indivíduos adultos de ambos os sexos I N T R O D U C T I O NChronic pain is considered a serious and growing public health problem worldwide. Affected people require medical attention approximately five times more frequently than the rest of the population. These patients have impaired physical, mental and social wellbeing, resulting in disability and work absenteeism [1,2].Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) is characterized by regional chronic muscle pain located in a single muscle or in muscle groups.Revista de Nutrição Rev. Nutri., Campinas, 30(5):567-581, set./out., 2017 CONSTIPATION IN PATIENTS WITH MYOFASCIAL PAIN SYNDROME 569

The Most Common Functional Disorders and Factors Affecting Female Pelvic Floor

“…IBS may also be a cause of constipation. It has been shown that there is an association between IBS and chronic myofascial pain and the formation of TrPs not only in the pelvic area but also in distant muscles [58]. TrPs can increase the tonus of PFM, making defecation difficult, resulting in a vicious cycle [56].…”