A comparison of the clinical manifestation and pathophysiology of myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyalgia: implications for differential diagnosis and management.

Two prominent forms of chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders are fibromyalgia (FM) and myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Inconsistent diagnosis of chronic musculoskeletal pain is an important clinical issue, as MPS is often mistaken for FM. Distinction between the two diagnoses depends largely on identification of either tender points or myofascial trigger points in FM and MPS, respectively. However, there currently is no standard diagnostic …