To investigate whether physical trauma may precipitate the onset of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).
A case-control study was carried out to compare fibromyalgia out-patients with controls attending non-rheumatology out-patient clinics.
One hundred and thirty-six FMS patients and 152 age- and sex-matched controls completed a postal questionnaire about any physical trauma in the 6 months before the onset of their symptoms.
Fifty-three (39%) FMS patients reported significant physical trauma in the 6 months before the onset of their disease, compared with only 36 (24%) of controls (P<0.007). There was no significant difference between FMS patients who had a history of physical trauma and those who did not have physical trauma with regard to age, sex, disease duration, employment status and whether their job at onset was manual.
Physical trauma in the preceding 6 months is significantly associated with the onset of FMS.