Pain in all the muscles and profound exhaustion are not symptoms that people can see, but they are real and can be devastating for the person with fibromyalgia. Although the invisible nature of the condition poses credibility dilemmas for patients, the number of research papers on fibromyalgia grew at an exponential rate between 1995 and 2004 in the US alone.
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What is fibromyalgia?
We understand fibromyalgia, as well as many of the conditions that are much more credible. For example, hypertension or high blood pressure, which is a credible disease, but doctors are still struggling to find effective treatments for patients.
Despite recent advances in understanding this disease, the lack of an easy chronic pain “meter” that resembles a simple blood pressure meter complicates the understanding of how fibromyalgia can cause many symptoms and that seriously jeopardize all aspects of a quality of life.
Fibromyalgia symptoms.
Fibromyalgia varies from patient to patient, but the many symptoms it causes are often intertwined. For example, patients who do not sleep well will usually have to struggle with fatigue during the day, difficulty concentrating, depression, and increased pain. However, the diagnosis is strictly based on the painful aspects of the disease.
Patients must have generalized pain and tenderness in all four quadrants of the body (by examination of tender points), and although there is no blood test or biomarker for fibromyalgia, the diagnosed criteria are accurate; severe generalized pain is not normal and its presence should prompt a physician to perform an examination of the tender points.
Current treatment methods are only aimed at relieving symptoms, especially pain and sleep disorder.
Brain imaging studies and many research projects to identify how pain processing systems do not function properly in this condition have certainly provided a basis for explaining how symptoms can be so severe and persistent, despite any obvious injury or structural abnormality.
We know a lot about fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is undoubtedly real , and with the help of donations and researchers you will learn more about the causes of sleep disorders, and how to develop the most effective treatment options for people with fibromyalgia.
The symptoms.
Fibromyalgia produces widespread pain, sleep disturbances, and exhaustion from head to toe. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and the soft fibrous tissues of the body. Although muscles ache everywhere, they are not the only cause of pain. Instead, diffuse symptoms in the body are greatly magnified by dysfunctions in the nervous system that processes pain.
Regional muscle pain not related to arthritis or the nervous system also occurs in most people with fibromyalgia.
Patients describe it as tight knots in the belly of the muscles, often causing restricted movement and radiating pain. These muscle nodules are myofascial trigger points, and some researchers suspect that these painful areas overlap with the tender points used to diagnose fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia symptoms are unpredictable and most patients are frustrated by their physical limitations and inability to plan. You feel like you have to “push yourself” to get things done.
Most fibromyalgia patients say their muscles feel like they’ve been pulled or overworked, and other times they contract or cramp. Even the skin can burn from time to time.
To help your family and friends relate to fibromyalgia symptoms, ask them to think again about the last time they had a bad flu. Every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
Since the symptoms can be similar to a viral flu, experts in the field of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome believe that these two diseases can be one and the same. The Gulf War syndrome also overlaps with these two conditions.
Fibromyalgia pain has no borders. People describe muscle pain as so deep, throbbing; shots, stabs, and even intense burning. Very often, pain and stiffness are worst in the morning, and muscle groups that are used repeatedly can do more damage.
Additionally, the severity of regional pain (particularly those in the head, neck, shoulders, and lower back) is a strong predictor of a person’s overall pain.
The muscles in these painful areas may feel tight and knotted. When pressing on these, the knotted region hurts and often triggers the pain to other muscles when a myofascial trigger point is present.
Here is a detailed explanation of the general symptoms of fibromyalgia. This should not cause any concern as it will help you define or better understand the disease; Furthermore, if you do not know that you suffer from it, this explanation will open doors for you to finally begin to understand what is happening to you. Nor is it to worry because this has solutions, and very effective.
Fatigue.
This symptom can be one of the most disabling for people with fibromyalgia. Patients may feel as if their arms and legs are weighted by concrete blocks and their bodies may be so drained of energy that each task requires a lot of effort.
Memory and concentration.
Difficulty concentrating and retaining new information can seriously interfere with everyday mental tasks. This symptom is known as “fibro fog” and it can hinder job opportunities.
In particular, fibromyalgia patients have serious difficulty retaining new information if they are distracted.
Sleep disorders.
Patients report problems falling asleep and more importantly staying asleep, but the quality of sleep is not what makes the disorder much worse than insomnia.
Repeated awakenings prevent patients from reaching deep, restorative sleep. As a result, the night is spent in “near-sleep” and patients wake up feeling as if they have been hit by a truck.
Exercise difficulties.
Moderate intensity exercise activates a powerful pain relief system in healthy people, but on the other hand it makes fibromyalgia pain worse. This is why starting an exercise program can make you sore and tired.
However, if you don’t exercise regularly, performing normal activities of daily living will start to cause more pain.
Rather than give in to the increased sensitivity to exercise-related pain, patients are advised to exercise lightly in short intervals (say, five minutes at a time) to keep the muscles in shape while not over-exercising them.
A study conducted in Sweden revealed that half of fibromyalgia patients found it impossible or difficult to climb stairs and most patients were unable to run. Just standing for five minutes was extremely costly for a quarter of the patients.
Irritable bowel syndrome.
Constipation, diarrhea, frequent pain and bloating, abdominal gas, and nausea represent symptoms commonly found in roughly 40 to 70 percent of fibromyalgia patients.
This can be due to various imbalances in the intestines, such as irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut.
Chronic headaches.
The migraine or recurrent headaches tension are experienced by 50 to 70 percent of patients with fibromyalgia. Most headaches are rated severe, occur at least twice a week, and often have a migraine component.
Referred pain from myofascial trigger points in the shoulder, neck, and head muscles are suspected to be responsible for most of the tension type of headache and to play a role with migraines as well.
Jaw pain.
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction causes jaw-related head and face pain and affects a quarter of fibromyalgia patients.
Usually, the problems are related to the muscles and ligaments that surround the jaw joint and not necessarily to the jaw joint.
Other common symptoms.
- Non-cardiac chest pain.
- Acid reflux.
- Irregular heart beat or palpitation.
- Short of breath.
- Numbness and tingling sensations.
- Sensation of swollen limbs.
- Chemical sensitivities.
- Nasal congestion.
- The premenstrual syndrome and painful periods.
- Irritable bladder.
- Interstitial cystitis.
- Acute cystitis.
- Vulvodynia (vulvar pain).
- Difficulty focusing the eyes.
- Dry eyes and mouth.
- Dizziness or burning sensation.
- Balance problems.
- Profuse sweating.
- Mild muscle weakness.
- It can happen that fibromyalgia patients are often sensitive to odors, loud noises, bright lights, some foods, and often to the medications that are prescribed.
Aggravating factors.
Changes in weather, cold or drafty environments, hormonal fluctuations (premenstrual and menopausal states ), stress, depression, intense anxiety, and excessive exercise can all contribute to the flare-up of fibromyalgia symptoms. Food is also an important factor.
Eating refined foods such as flour, sugar and others, eating dairy, and foods that irritate and inflame, cause crises.
It has also been said that gluten is associated with intensifying the pain of fibromyalgia because it is an inflammatory protein, so leave everything that contains gluten, and incorporate an organic diet, of more raw and natural foods, elimination of foods with gluten.
Also, foods rich in Omega 3, are essential for you to incorporate if you are going through this condition.
Interesting fibromyalgia facts.
- It affects 3 to 5 percent of the general population.
- It occurs in people of all ages, including children.
- Men develop fibromyalgia too, although more women are diagnosed with it.
- Symptoms are chronic, but can vary throughout the day (and can be reversible).
There are traditional medicine treatments to treat the symptoms, but for this type of condition it is advisable to see a holistic or functional doctor, since this disease must be seen as a set of diseases and conditions in one.
Yes, there are doctors who are now taking care of this disease in a functional way and do not cover the symptoms with pills.
This disease must be seen from the root causes and try to uproot them. Search in your locality or on the internet, more information about it. The disease is reversible, and trying a set of things at the same time, such as diet and chronic stress (main causes of fibromyalgia), you can reverse the symptoms.