Fibromyalgia

Description

Fibromyalgia is pain in the muscles and soft tissues above and below the waist and on both sides of the body. People with this condition experience pain, tenderness, or both, even when there is no inflammation or injury.

The disease condition can cause long-term /chronic/ pain and there is no cure for it. But with treatment, most affected people are able to work and carry out their usual activities.

But when the pain is not controlled, the sufferer loses their energy. Or they may feel depressed or have trouble sleeping. Fortunately, many things can be done to help manage or at least control the manifestations of the clinical condition.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of the disease state are:

• Piercing or burning pain in the buttocks, neck, lower back, hips and shoulders.
• Presence of trigger points on the body – these are certain places on the skin which pressure cause pain.

Other possible complaints or issues:

• Anxiety and depression that make those affected feel worse;
• Sleep problems and tiredness;
• Morning stiffness;
• Difficulty concentrating;
• Irritable bowel syndrome;

In most affected people, symptoms appear for a while and then subside. There may be times when they hurt more, followed by periods of less or no pain /remissions/. Most sufferers find that their symptoms worsen in cold and wet weather, when they are stressed, or when they are trying to multitask.

What are the causes?

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is a set of symptoms that occur simultaneously. Researchers have several theories as to what might be causing it, but there isn’t enough evidence to fully support any of them. Some of these theories sound like this:

• It is possible that the nerve cells are too sensitive.
• It is possible that the chemicals in the brain /neurotransmitters/ are unbalanced.
• The deep phase of sleep can be interrupted for unknown reasons and this affects the amount hormones that the body releases.

Many affected people associate the first appearance of the syndrome with a specific event such as the flu, trauma or surgery, emotional trauma, or some highly stressful event.

A condition of this kind combined with other factors such as increased sensitivity to pain and sleep problems may lead to fibromyalgia in some people.

Treatment of fibromyalgia

Treatment is mostly done at home and with some lifestyle changes. In this regard, you can take the following measures:

• Exercise regularly – Of all the therapies for the syndrome, cardio exercise is the most effective at managing pain and other symptoms and improving your overall condition. It is recommended that you use the services of a physiotherapist who has experience with the condition, who can prepare an exercise program suitable for you. And then continue doing it.
• Try to avoid or at least limit exposure to stressors that exacerbate your symptoms. The most common are too cold and humid weather, poor sleep, fatigue, physical and emotional stress and excessive activity. cause of some of the symptoms such as pain. Try to develop good sleep habits and try to get enough sleep every night.