Fibromyalgia (FMS)

What is Fibromyalgia?

Many people who have fibromyalgia associate their symptoms with muscle strain, being over-worked, stressed, generally run down or heading for the flu.  In other words badly needing a holiday!

If you have been to the doctor complaining of feeling constantly exhausted, aching all over and feeling totally worn out and all the tests fail to show anything specifically wrong, you may just have fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is more common in women than men, as with many arthritic complaints, and it can affect all ages.  It is a chronic condition characterized by fatigue, pain in muscles, ligaments and tendons and multiple tender points.  Pain is triggered by the slightest pressure to various places on your body.

Fibromyalgia is not progressive, crippling or life-threatening, the severity of the symptoms can vary, but usually do not completely disappear.  It is a muscular pain and fatigue disorder and as yet the cause is still unknown.   Most FMS sufferers also have associated sleep disorder symptoms.

There are a wide range of symptoms that appear in some cases of FMS, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome,  Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome (TMJ or TMD) that causes quite severe jaw-related face pain and headaches.  Many patients complain of migraine headaches, numbness and tingling, muscle twitching and an increased sensitivity to bright light, loud noises, medication and odors.  Many women suffer pre menstrual syndrome and extremely painful periods.

What Causes Fibromyalgia? 

As yet the cause of FMS remains somewhat of a medical mystery.  Many triggering events are thought to lead to the onset of the complaint, such as viral or bacterial infection, or the existence of another disorder (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or hypothyroidism). 

It is also possible that an injury or trauma, especially to the upper spinal region, could trigger fibromyalgia as a result of the central nervous system being affected.

Although the events don't cause FMS, they could indicate an underlying physiological abnormality. Research and investigation into the possible causes focus on such things as alteration in pain-related chemical transmitters, immune system function, nerve growth factor, serotonin, sleep physiology and hormonal irregularities.

Diagnosis

As yet there isn't a specific diagnostic test for fibromyalgia.  Most of the tests carried out such as X-rays and blood tests will return normal results.  These tests will however, eliminate other possible diseases such as multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. 

The diagnosis is normally based on patient history and physical examination.  Many doctors use a method of identifying point tenderness areas (usually around 11 of the 18 tender points of the body - see picture below) with no accompanying tissue swelling or inflammation.  In the majority of cases, a pattern of symptoms such as muscle tenderness, sleep disorder and fatigue will assist in the final diagnosis.

Treatment for Fibromyalgia

Medication and self-care are generally the treatment for fibromyalgia, focusing on minimizing symptoms and improving general health and wellbeing. 

Medication for pain reduction and to improve sleep are often prescribed.  Common medications include analgesics and muscle relaxants.  As depression often accompanies fibromyalgia suffers, your doctor may prescribe a suitable anti-depressant.  In some cases non steroidal anti-inflammatories will also be recommended.

Self care can include -

Stress reduction

Implement strategies to avoid emotional stress and take care not to over exert yourself.  Ensure you relax as much as possible during the day, even using techniques such as meditation and deep breathing exercises can be extremely beneficial.

Regular sleep pattern 

To reduce the fatigue characteristics of fibromyalgia, setting good sleep habits is very important.  I have spoken to a number of people who have found going to bed and getting up at the same time every day to be of benefit and assist with the feelings of fatigue.  Try not to take naps during the day if possible as this will make it harder for you to sleep at night.

Exercise 

Although you may not feel up to exercising due to feeling tired and being in pain, regular exercise will often help decrease your symptoms.  It doesn't have to be strenuous exercise but regular exercise.  Try things such as walking and riding a bike, swimming is very good as you are not putting strain on your body. 

If you are unsure as to what exercises are best suited to your particular needs, consult a physiotherapist who will design a program to suit you.  The important thing is not to overdo it, if you put too much pressure on yourself you will end up with more bad days than good.  Learn to pace your activities and keep them on an even level.

Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is important for everyone's good health, but even more so for arthritis sufferers.  Maintaining a good weight level will reduce the stress on joints plus the less weight you have to carry around can help with the fatigue.

Alternate and Natural Treatments 

If you have, or think you may have Fibromyalgia I recommend  purchasing Natural Cure To Fibromyalgia by Jane Thompson.  In it Jane explains how she extensively researched and found an alternative relief for the discomfort of Fibromyalgia, in some cases the symptoms went away completely.

Some of the topics outlined in the book are -

• the risk factors,

  

• how a diagnosis is made,
• types of prescriptions drugs used and their side effects

plus Jane explains how to :

Properly treat and manage your Fibromyalgia.

If you are a sufferer of this very debilitating disease, find out how you can naturally ease your Fibromyalgia symptoms by reading Jane's book now.  Download your book Here!

The following list is provided to give you some thoughts on alternate therapies you may wish to look into -

• Homeopathic treatment
• Osteopathic treatment
• Hydrotherapy
• Hypnotherapy
• Meditation
• Yoga