Fibromyalgia is one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed syndromes there is in the healthy field because there are still so many people, and doctors that dismiss this syndrome because there are no difinitive test ro prove if someone has this syndrome due to the fact that so many of it’s sysmtoms can fall under other illnesses or syndromes. It is also dismisses as a syndrome because it is still a mystery as to what exactly causes Fibromyalgia or where it comes from.
However the people that have to live with Fibromyaglia can tell patient that the pain and symptoms are very real, and it is extremely miseriable to have. I would not wish this type of Chronic Pain on no one, not even my worst enemy. Fibromyalgia affects and interfers with everyday living that most people take for granted like sex, preganancies, jobs, sleep, and many, many more.
What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a type of arthritis and it is the most common arthritis-related condition after osteoarthritis. It is a chronic pain disorder that affects people physically, socially, and mentally. Fibromyalgia is characterized as a syndrome because it is a collection of signs, symptoms, and healthy problems that tend to occur together but they are not related to a specific identifiable cause such as dieases are. Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain state in which the nerve stimuli causing pain originates mainly in the muscle. The pain increases upon on movement and the aggravation of fibromyalgia by strenuous exertion.
Its characteristics include widespread muscle and joint pain and fatigue as well as many other symptoms. Fibromyalgia can lead to depression and social isolation. The impact that comes from the tremendous physical and mental strains can lead to loss of work hours, income, relationships, and more.
With Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) the following symptoms commonly occur together:
widespread pain
decreased pain threshold or tender points
anxiety or depression
incapacitating fatigue
What causes fibromyalgia
While the underlying cause or causes of FM still remain a mystery, new research findings continue to bring us closer to understanding the basic mechanisms of fibromyalgia. Most researchers agree that FM is a disorder of central processing with neuroendocrine/neurotransmitter dysregulation. The FM patient experiences pain amplification due to abnormal sensory processing in the central nervous system. An increasing number of scientific studies now show multiple physiological abnormalities in the FM patient, including: increased levels of substance P in the spinal cord, low levels of blood flow to the thalamus region of the brain, HPA axis hypofunction, low levels of serotonin and tryptophan and abnormalities in cytokine function.
Recent studies show that genetic factors may predispose individuals to a genetic susceptibility to FM. For some, the onset of FM is slow; however, in a large percentage of patients the onset is triggered by an illness or injury that causes trauma to the body. These events may act to incite an undetected physiological problem already present.
The most common agreed upon causes of FMS by researchers are:
A genetic component, this disorder is often seen in families, among siblings or mothers and their children.
Fibromyalgia often occurs following a physical trauma, such as an acute illness or injury, which may act as a “trigger” in the development of the disorder.
Increasing attention is being devoted to the central nervous system as the underlying mechanism of FM. Recent studies have suggested that FM patients have generalized disturbance in pain processing and an amplified response to stimuli that would not ordinarily be painful in healthy individuals.
Exciting new research has also begun in the areas of brain imaging and neurosurgery. Ongoing research will test the hypothesis that FM is caused by an interpretative defect in the central nervous system that brings about abnormal pain perception. Medical researchers have just begun to untangle the truths about this life-altering disease.
Men vs. Women in fibromyalgia
There are more then 12 million Americans have FMS. Women are 10 times more likely to have FMS then men with ages ranging from 25-69. Most of them are women ranging in age from 25 to 60.
What are the fibromyalgia symptoms?
Fibromyalgia causes a person to ache all over and possible crippling fatique as if patient had a severe case of the flu. In fact if patient have a friend or loved one that does not quite understand patientr FMS then have them remember back to when they had the flu, then tell them to remember how bad their body ached all over. Once they can remember that then patient tell them to multiply that by 10 and that is almost how bad patientr body aches all over.
Your muslces may feel like they have been overworked or like patient pulled them without doing anything to them such as excercise. Your muscles can also sometimes twitch, having a burning sensation, or have a deep stabbing pain. There are specific trigger points or tender points on the body that may be painful to touch. You may also experience swelling, disturbances in a deep level or restful sleep, and mood disturbances or depression.
Some patients of FMS may have pain, achiness, and stiffness around the joints in the neck, shoulder, back, and hips. This can make it difficult for them to sleep or exercise. FMS can cause signs and feelings similar to osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis, but the pain of bursitis or tendinitis is localized to a specific area of or in the body. The feelings of pain and stiffness with FMS are widespread. Other fibromyalgia symptoms include:
abdominal pain
anxiety and depression
chronic headaches
difficulty maintaining sleep or light sleep
dryness in mouth, nose, and eyes
fatigue upon arising
hypersensitivity to cold and/or heat
inability to concentrate (called “fibro fog”)
incontinence
irritable bowel syndrome
numbness or tingling in the fingers and feet
painful menstrual cramps
poor circulation in hands and feet (called Raynaud’s phenomenon)
restless legs syndrome
pain or burning sensation in the heels of patientr feet
pain or burning sensation in patientr elbows
stiffness
Are there tests used to diagnose fibromyalgia?
No there are not any difinitive test such as x-ray’s, MRI’s, lab test, etc. to diagnoise FMS. The best way to make an accurate diagnosis is to rely on an comprehnsive physical examination done by patientr doctor will rely on a and patientr healthy history. Your doctor will also use a “diagnosis of exclusion” which means the doctor will rule out other conditions that could cause similar symptoms.
Even though there are no specific healthy test that can be done to diagnose FMS patientr doctor may run some specific blood tests to rule out more serious illnesses. For example, patientr doctor may ask for a complete
