Rasouli, Omid, Fors, Egil A, Borchgrevink, Petter Chr et al. · Journal of pain research · 2017 · DOI
This study compared how quickly people with ME/CFS and fibromyalgia could start moving when they heard a sound, and how well they could do precise hand movements compared to healthy people. Both ME/CFS and fibromyalgia groups were slower to start walking in response to the sound, though their fine hand movements were similar to healthy controls. The results suggest that ME/CFS and fibromyalgia may affect the speed of starting movement, but not the precision of hand tasks.
Motor dysfunction is an understudied aspect of ME/CFS that affects daily functioning. This study demonstrates measurable delays in movement initiation in ME/CFS, providing objective evidence of neuromotor impairment that may help explain difficulties with coordination and physical control reported by patients.
This cross-sectional study cannot establish causation or determine whether motor delays are primary neurological features or secondary consequences of fatigue and deconditioning. The study does not measure post-exertional malaise or test motor function before and after exertion, so it cannot address whether activity worsens these deficits over time.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Rasouli, Omid, Fors, Egil A, Borchgrevink, Petter Chr, Öhberg, Fredrik, & Stensdotter, Ann-Katrin (2017). Gross and fine motor function in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of pain research. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S127038
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-rasouli-2017-gross-fine,
author = {Rasouli, Omid and Fors, Egil A and Borchgrevink, Petter Chr and Öhberg, Fredrik and Stensdotter, Ann-Katrin},
title = {Gross and fine motor function in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of pain research},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.2147/JPR.S127038},
note = {PubMed: 28223840},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rasouli-2017-gross-fine},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rasouli-2017-gross-fine
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