Fibromyalgia is a long term chronic disease where an affected person experiences pain in the muscles and joints, tiredness, difficulty in sleeping and mental disorders. Due to its complicated nature it affects millions of people globally where mostly women become victims as compared to men. In most of the cases this disease gets ignored and miss treated. Although it is a widespread disease, its original root causes are not known. That’s why this disease is a serious medical disorder. There is good news for you at the moment that this condition can be managed in an effective way if you understand its symptoms, possible causes and successful management strategies. This comprehensive article provides you with complete guidance about this chronic disease. By following expert instructions you can improve your quality of life while having fibromyalgia. Let’s talk about it in detail.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a type of a disease that changes how the brain determines pain signals and elaborating feelings of pain throughout the body. If we compare acute pain with fibromyalgia pain, there is much difference because fibromyalgia pain is long term and broad that comes with symptoms like constant aching or feeling of burning. Now try to understand why this disease is complicated, it is because it mostly comes with some other symptoms making it a more complex and multidimensional medical disorder.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
As we said earlier fibromyalgia comes with a variety of symptoms that are broader in spectrum and the duration and intensity of the symptoms is also different from person to person. Here in this part of the article we will talk about some of the common but important symptoms of fibromyalgia for better diagnosis and effective treatment. Let’s have a look.
Widespread Pain
The primary characteristic of fibromyalgia is long term severe pain that affects both sides of the body. In most of the cases, this severe pain and discomfort can be felt above or below the waist. The nature of the pain can be severe, boring or burning and the level of severity can change throughout the day.
Tiredness
Those people who are suffering from fibromyalgia feel a lot of tiredness and weakness most of the time. You can feel the complication of this disease that even when taking rest for a longer period of time a person still feels fatigue and exhaustion.
Sleep Disturbances
One of the most common and important symptoms in case of fibromyalgia is sleep disturbance. An affected person has a lot of difficulty in sleeping or staying asleep. These types of people can also have additional sleep problems like restless legs syndrome, and sleep apnea makes a person more weakened and exhausted.
Cognitive Issues
Mental disorders that are commonly known as fibro fog are also one of the common symptoms in case of fibromyalgia. In this type of disorder memory, attention and clarity of thought can also suffer.
Sensitivity to Stimuli
People having issues of fibromyalgia often show greater sensitivity to touch, sound, light and temperature. Even tiny stimulation like a gentle touch or a loud noise can also cause pain or irritation.
Headaches and Migraines
Another symptom that can be experienced in case of fibromyalgia is a severe headache and migraines. These headaches sometimes can be painful and intense and most of the cases come with other symptoms like sensitivity, light and sound and nausea.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Gastrointestinal issues are also observed in those people who are suffering from fibromyalgia. In this way abdominal pain, changes in bowel pattern and bloating can be created which is really a painful situation for that particular person.
Depression and Anxiety
According to research the severe pain and weakness that comes with the case of fibromyalgia can become the reason for mental health issues like depression and anxiety. These issues can further become complicated and convert into physical symptoms. In this way it can result in an ongoing cycle of pain and psychological discomfort.
Causes of Fibromyalgia
Unfortunately the exact causes of fibromyalgia still are not known but medical research has shown that genetics, environmental and psychological factors are one of the major contributing elements in this type of disease. So here in the following some possible causes of fibromyalgia are follows.
Genetics
Research has shown that fibromyalgia can be the result of genetics as it is considered to be inherited in families. This indication suggests a genetic link for this disorder. The research has found that genetic characteristics can increase susceptibility of a condition which is known as fibromyalgia. Those families who have a history of persistent pain disorders are at higher risk to develop fibromyalgia.
Infections
Some infections have been associated with the occurrence of fibromyalgia. Viral infection like Epstein Barr virus and bacterial infections like Lyme have been related to the development of fibromyalgia in certain people.
Physical or Emotional Trauma
It can be the starting point of fibromyalgia in case of physical or emotional trauma. Besides that, emotional trauma such as losing a loved one or experiencing prolonged stress can also lead a person towards the development of this disease.
Abnormalities in Central Nervous System
Due to the issues in the central nervous system, a person can suffer from fibromyalgia, especially the way the brain and spinal cord understand pain signals. Patients suffering from fibromyalgia may experience increased pain sensitivity. It is because of the imbalance of neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
Hormonal Abnormalities
Hormonal abnormalities are also reasons that result in fibromyalgia. The imbalance in the hormones such as cortisol stress hormones is one of the major issues to develop this complicated chronic disease. These types of imbalances can help in the sensitivity of the pain and tiredness which is associated with this disorder.
Sleep Disturbances
Chronic sleep problems are a sign and a possible cause of fibromyalgia. Insufficient or lack of sleep may affect the natural pain regulation process of the body. When this happens it results in greater sensitivity to pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Diagnosing Fibromyalgia
It can be very difficult to diagnose fibromyalgia because there are no specific diagnostic tests available for these diseases. Another difficulty is its symptoms that combine with other diseases that make it a challenging one. However there are some useful steps that you can follow in order to diagnose it in an efficient way. Let’s have a look.
Widespread Pain Index
This method is used in order to measure the level and position of the pain throughout the body. In order to diagnose symptoms in this particular case, a person must have severe pain in at least 4 out of 5 areas of the body for a minimum period of 3 months.
Symptom Severity Scale
As the name suggests this method is used in order to measure the severity of the symptoms like tiredness, cognitive disorders and sleep disturbance. The higher reading on symptoms severity scale and widespread pain index confirm the diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Removal of Other Conditions
As we have mentioned earlier, fibromyalgia comes with some other disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome and lupus, so it is really very important to remove the symptoms for better diagnosis. This actually is done through blood tests, imaging tests and other useful diagnostic techniques.
Sensitive Points
Traditionally in the past, fibromyalgia has been diagnosed on the basis of their sensitive points. These points are located at those areas of a body that are extremely sensitive to pressure. In recent times these sensitive points are not more required for a diagnosis but still they are helpful to point out the presence of the disease.
Effective Treatment Options of Fibromyalgia
While it is a fact that there is no cure for fibromyalgia, still there are different treatment options that can be helpful to manage this complicated disease in an effective way. This treatment process consists of medicine, lifestyle changes and alternative therapies. Let’s talk about more.
Medicines
Pain Relievers
According to Medical research it is shown that without prescription pain medicines like acetaminophen and Ibuprofen can help to reduce pain and discomfort. You can use description medicines like tramadol in that case where the pain is severe.
Antidepressants
Depression medicines such as duloxetine and milnacipran can also be used in order to reduce symptoms of fibromyalgia. These medicines actually change the level of neurotransmitter in the brain for providing you relief from depression.
Anti-seizure Medicines
Anti-seizure medications like pregabalin and gabapentin were first created in order to treat epilepsy but it is found that they are also helpful to reduce pain and enhance sleeping quality in those people who are suffering from fibromyalgia.
Physical Therapy and Exercise
Physical Therapy
You can get some of the desired results with the help of physical therapy. A physical therapist can help you in order to improve flexibility, strength and versatility of movement. In this case massage and hydrotherapy are considered one of the best physical treatment procedures that are useful in pain and stiffness reduction.
Exercise
By taking easy exercises on a regular basis such as walking, yoga or swimming you can reduce pain to a greater extent. These exercises are also helpful in order to enhance sleep and promote general health. It is really important that you start taking exercise from a lower level and then slowly increase its intensity to prevent symptoms from worsening.
Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is actually a psychotherapy that helps to reduce negative thoughts and behaviors that can lead to pain and tiredness. This particular method is more effective for reducing stress and enhancing coping techniques.
Mindfulness and Relaxation
Some important techniques like deep breathing exercises, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation are considered an effective way to decrease stress and increase relaxation. By doing these practices, you can improve your sleep and reduce the sensitivity of the pain as well.
Lifestyle Modifications
Sleep Hygiene
Remember quality sleep is really very important not only in case of fibromyalgia but also for your general health. Try to make a habit to stick to your sleep schedule. It is important to create an ideal environment for sleeping and avoid use of drugs or irritants before going to bed. By following these suggestions you can enhance sleep quality and reduce tiredness in an effective way.
Healthy Diet
If you want to live a healthier life then a healthy diet is really very important. Healthy diet means a diet which is full of nutrients and consists of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. In this way you can reduce inflammation and can improve your general health. It is observed that some foods can increase symptoms such as gluten or dairy products, so it is better to avoid consuming these food items.
Alternative Therapies
Acupuncture
You can use some alternative therapies in order to get maximum benefits in case of fibromyalgia. Acupuncture is one of the effective techniques that is helpful in this context. It is basically a traditional method where small needles are inserted into particular areas of the body. By doing this, it helps to reduce pain and improve the quality of sleeping as well.
Chiropractic Therapy
Chiropractic therapy consists of spine treatment and other manual therapy. This special treatment option is considered to reduce pain and enhance the ability to move especially to those people who are suffering from fibromyalgia.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is also helpful in order to decrease muscle tension. With the use of this treatment option, you can enhance movement and relaxation. The use of massage on a regular basis can reduce the severity of pain and improve sleep quality.
Conclusion
Fibromyalgia is a complicated and mostly misdiagnosed disease that affects thousands of people globally. Unfortunately still we are unable to know its exact causes but according to medical science it is believed that some factors such as genetics, environmental and psychological factors are one of the reasons for developing fibromyalgia. Unfortunately there is no cure available still now but with the use of certain treatment options you can deal with fibromyalgia to a greater extent and can improve the quality of life.