IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 588 

Expressing support for the designation of ‘‘National Amplified Musculoskeletal 

Pain Syndrome Awareness Day’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 

Ms. WILD (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Ms. JACKSON LEE) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 

and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the designation of ‘‘National 

Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome Awareness Day’’. 

Whereas amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (in this 

preamble referred to as ‘‘AMPS’’) is a medical condition 

that causes individuals to experience an abnormal pain 

reflex that causes constriction of blood vessels, bones, and 

skin, which deprives muscles of appropriate oxygenation 

and results in acid buildup; 

Whereas AMPS amplifies a mild pain signal into an extremely painful signal; 

Whereas the 3 main causes of AMPS are psychological stress, 

injury, and illness; 

Whereas there are numerous types of AMPS, including complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, myofascial 


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•HRES 588 IH 

pain syndrome, neuropathic pain, psychogenic pain, and 

reflex neurovascular dystrophy; 

Whereas amplified pain in children is not well studied but is 

known to include localized pain and diffuse pain and is 

estimated to affect 2 percent to 6 percent of children; 

Whereas 80 percent of children with AMPS are preadolescent 

or adolescent girls with a pain rating of ‘‘10 out of 10’’; 

Whereas symptoms can occur acutely or take weeks to develop and may include pain in one or multiple limbs, pain 

throughout the whole body or in the abdomen, headaches, 

skin temperature changes, skin color changes, swelling of 

the affected extremity, vascular changes, conversions, and 

allodynia; 

Whereas AMPS is difficult to diagnose and patients often see 

multiple specialists and are prescribed a variety of unsuccessful medications, procedures, and surgeries to treat 

their pain, which perpetuates the symptoms of AMPS 

and burdens families with additional health care costs; 

Whereas pediatric amplified pain is being diagnosed with 

greater frequency but has no known cure; 

Whereas once diagnosed, treatment and therapy focused on 

aerobic exercise, physical and occupational therapy, stress 

management, and counseling have proven to be more effective than the administration of pain management 

medications and more invasive procedures; 

Whereas the treatment goal is to restore function and return 

a child to the child’s prior functional level at school, in 

sports, and in leisure activities; and 

Whereas when patients are in treatment focused on aerobic 

exercise, physical and occupational therapy, and stress 

management and counseling, patients see a significant reVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:43 Sep 25, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR588.IH HR588

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duction in their pain according to published studies: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes amplified musculoskeletal pain 

3 syndrome (‘‘AMPS’’) and the effects it has on those 

4 who are afflicted, particularly the minor population; 

5 and 

6 (2) supports the designation of ‘‘National Am7 plified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome Awareness 

8 Day’’. 

Æ 


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