FIBROMYALGIA AWARENESS DAY IS MAY 12TH

EDUCATE YOURSELF ABOUT THIS DEBILITATING ILLNESS

What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is caused by the brain not producing enough serotonin during sleep for the patient’s muscles to relax. This leads to severe muscle tension, which is very painful and muscle knots often form at the trigger points. Sleep is non-restorative, so the patient feels unrefreshed and often more tired in the morning than they felt when they went to bed.

While the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia vary from person to person, the one common symptom experienced by all sufferers is that they hurt all over. The pain can be a deep bone ache, pains and needles, a burning sensation, or most commonly a stabbing pain. Muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked, but usually they feel tense. The severity of the pain varies but it never goes away.

Fibromyalgia has been classified as a syndrome, not a disease. A disease is a condition with a clearly identifiable cause, whereas a syndrome is a set of symptoms that define the condition without a single causative agent upon which to place the blame.

Painful muscle knots form as a result of the tension. Even when a fibromyalgia sufferer is completely mentally relaxed, they are unable to make their muscles relax and will still be very stiff and tense.

How Common is Fibromyalgia?
Articles about fibromyalgia vary hugely. Some say that up to 5% of the population suffer from fibromyalgia, whereas others state that the figure is less than 1%. It primarily occurs in women of childbearing age, but children, the elderly, and men can also be affected.

What is the Cause of Fibromyalgia?
The cause of all fibromyalgia is unknown, but researchers have several theories about what the causes or triggers may be. Some fibromyalgia is triggered by an injury or trauma that affects the central nervous system. Fibromyalgia may be associated with changes in muscle metabolism, such as decreased blood flow, causing fatigue and decreased strength. Others believe the syndrome may be triggered by an infectious agent such as a virus in susceptible people, but no such agent has been identified. Lyme disease is a very important possible trigger to look into, because if it is not treated early on, lyme disease can cause fibromyalgia to develop. Mould toxicity and mercury poisoning have also been identified as the triggers of fibromyalgia in some people.

How Is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed?
Fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose because many of the symptoms mimic those of other disorders, such as MS, ME and Lupus. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia is based on a history of chronic widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for more than 3 months, in combination with tenderness in at least 11 of 18 specific tender point sites. People who do not have fibromyalgia are much less tender to pressure applied at these tender points.

How Is Fibromyalgia Treated?
There is no cure-all treatment for fibromyalgia. However, there are many treatments that can help a patient to control it and cope with it. Low-dose antidepressant medications taken at night increase serotonin production by the brain, improving quality of sleep and causing muscles to relax. Patients with fibromyalgia may benefit from a combination of exercise, medication, improvements in posture and relaxation. Magnesium supplements are often beneficial to fibromyalgia sufferers, because magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant.