The symptoms of fibromyalgia are changeable – for example, they can sometimes suddenly improve or get worse. See a GP if you think you have fibromyalgia. Treatment can ease some of the symptoms, although they're unlikely to disappear completely.
There's no cure for fibromyalgia, but your healthcare provider will help you find a combination of treatments that relieve your symptoms. Even though experts don't know what causes fibromyalgia, it's real — and so are your symptoms. They might come and go or be hard to describe, but how you feel is valid and important.
A fibromyalgia attack is a temporary worsening of fibromyalgia symptoms. Fibromyalgia is a chronic (long-term) condition that causes muscle and joint pain throughout your body along with other symptoms, like fatigue, difficulty sleeping, or problems with memory.
A fibromyalgia flare is a temporary increase in the number and/or intensity of symptoms. Some flares only last for a day or two but others may continue for several weeks or even months.
Physical and emotional stress are the most common triggers of fibromyalgia flares. Other triggers include lack of sleep, weather changes, and hormone imbalances.
Nature of the pain: Words commonly used to describe fibromyalgia pain include aching, dull, numbing, burning, tingling, pins-and-needles, throbbing, pounding, shooting, sharp, stabbing, blinding, knife-like, needle-like, and others.
Fibromyalgia can cause tiredness. This can range from feeling mildly tired to the exhaustion often felt during a flu-like illness. Severe tiredness (fatigue) may come on suddenly and can drain you of all your energy.
Getting low-intensity exercise during a flare-up is crucial. Don't lie in bed all day. Get your body moving in the gentlest way possible.
A flare can be over in 1 to 2 days or last as long as a few weeks. Here are some of the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia: Muscle achiness: often in the neck, back, arms, and legs.
The primary symptoms of fibromyalgia include: Widespread pain. The pain associated with fibromyalgia often is described as a constant dull ache that has lasted for at least three months. To be considered widespread, the pain must occur on both sides of your body and above and below your waist.
Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is still a somewhat controversial diagnosis, because it is not yet fully understood and its symptoms can overlap with many other conditions.
Financial help can make a huge difference when you've been forced to stop working due to a disability like fibromyalgia. Financial help for fibromyalgia comes in two main forms in Australia. Disability Support Pensions and TPD insurance claims from your super policy can each give you assistance.
People with fibromyalgia should generally avoid activities that involve fast, sudden movements and high impact activities, such as running and jumping, although some people may progress to this level of activity.
Our team of pain management experts are very familiar with all aspects of FMS, so you can rest assured we believe you, and we can treat you. We know you have one burning question on your mind, though — is fibromyalgia curable? The short answer is no.
Fibromyalgia is a complex condition and therefore needs to be treated as such. Recovery involves balancing five key areas which are: beliefs, mind, emotions, body and lifestyle. This enables you to start your journey to health and happiness. I and many others have done it, you can too.
Who gets fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia affects as many as 4 million Americans 18 and older. The average age range at which fibromyalgia is diagnosed is 35 to 45 years old, but most people have had symptoms, including chronic pain, that started much earlier in life.
A simple way to explain the physiology of fibromyalgia is: My brain and nerves are hypersensitive and over-react to pain and all sorts of other things, and my hormones and immune system are messed up, too.
The drugs amitriptyline, duloxetine, milnacipran and pregabalin can relieve fibromyalgia pain in some people. They may cause side effects such as a dry mouth or nausea. Normal painkillers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen (paracetamol) aren't recommended for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
The pain may be worse in the morning and evening. Sometimes, the pain may last all day long. The pain may get worse with activity, cold or damp weather, anxiety, and stress. This condition is more often diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 and 50.
In addition to gradually increasing movement over time, also try to choose activities that won't put too much strain on your body. Experts typically recommend any low-impact aerobic activity, such as walking, swimming, or cycling.
The central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) transmits information all over your body through a network of specialised cells. Changes in the way this system works may explain why fibromyalgia results in constant feelings of, and extreme sensitivity to, pain.
In some cases, the doctor may recommend a multivitamin that includes antioxidant vitamins A, C, D, E, and the B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc to ease symptoms. Coenzyme Q10. This antioxidant, used to convert food into energy, has shown some promise in treating fibromyalgia symptoms.
Fibromyalgia is diagnosed based primarily on having pain all over the body, along with other symptoms. Currently, there are no specific laboratory or imaging tests for fibromyalgia.
Other conditions that may mimic fibromyalgia include Hypermobility syndrome, Whiplash associated disorders (after physical trauma), widespread burns etc.