FIBROMYALGIA

What is it?
Fibromyalgia is a very common and chronic condition that affects the bones and muscles with generalized pain and fatigue. It will last for a very long time and for some people it will last their lifetime.

What causes it?
Medical researchers have been studying this condition but unfortunately they haven’t found the cause of the problem. They only suspect that it may be due to some kind of problem between the brain and spinal cord that affects the processing of pain signals from the nerves. At this time the conclusion is that nobody knows the cause of Fibromyalgia.

What are the predisposing factors?
Unfortunately about 80 to 90% of those that gets it are adult women but men and children also get the problem. So females are more predisposed to getting it than men. Generally about three million people are affected by fibromyalgia every year and these people fall into the age group of 18 years and older. The other predisposing factors for getting fibromyalgia are:

a.   Lack of exercise

b.   The presence of arthritis or infection

c.   Mood disorder or anxiety disorder

d.   Depression and

e.   Post traumatic disorder (PTSD)

What are the symptoms?

1.   The major one is general body pain and aches affecting the muscles, joints and bones. There is muscle pain, burning, twitching and tightness.

2.   There is tender point and low pain threshold

3.   Fatigue

4.   Trouble concentrating and remembering things, this has been referred to as “fibro fog”.

5.   Headache and patient peeing often than normal

6.   Numbness, tingling in the face, arms, legs, feet and hands

7.   Lack of sleep or insomnia

Diagnosis: There is no lab test for finding if you have fibromyalgia but your doctor will try to rule out if there are other reasons for your general body pain.

Treatment:

a.   Depending on how severe the problem is, the doctor will prescribe pain medicine, antidepressants or muscle relaxers. The three medicines currently approved by the U.S Food and drug administration (FDA) to treat fibromyalgia are Duloxetine, Milnacaprin and Pregabalin.

b.   Regular exercise is the key to controlling fibromyalgia

c.   Complementary treatments with acupuncture, massage therapy and chiropractic manipulation can help with aches and stress.




References:
https://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/fibromyalgia/

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