Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus. They have symptoms of widespread pain along with joint involvement. Most rheumatic diseases are treated with medication and physical therapy.
People with fibromyalgia often experience pain on both sides of the body, usually in 18 key places. People with polymyalgia typically feel stiffness and pain in their shoulders, back, and hip girdles. Mental health.
The symptoms can be similar, but people with fibromyalgia are more likely to experience depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and widespread, persistent pain. Symptoms more common with MS include weakness, vision problems, muscle spasms, and bowel or bladder issues.
A diagnosis of fibromyalgia can be tricky, because fibromyalgia isn't the only condition with widespread pain. Besides pain, another major symptom of fibromyalgia is chronic fatigue. But patients with other conditions also have chronic fatigue. There are other symptoms that may occur in fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia (fi·bro·my·al·gi·a) is a condition that causes pain all over the body, also called widespread pain. Fibromyalgia also causes sleep problems, fatigue, and emotional and mental distress. People with fibromyalgia may be more sensitive to pain than people without fibromyalgia.
Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus. They have symptoms of widespread pain along with joint involvement. Most rheumatic diseases are treated with medication and physical therapy.
There's no test that can diagnose fibromyalgia, so when fibromyalgia symptoms — which include widespread pain, sensitivity to touch, sleep issues and fatigue, brain fog, gastrointestinal distress (bloating and diarrhea), and mental health issues like depression and anxiety — propel you into the doctor's office, your ...
“Doctors don't tell you how hard it will be to do everyday tasks.” 13. “They don't tell you how likely you are to have other problems because you have fibromyalgia, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), restless legs syndrome (RLS) or anxiety. They don't realize how hard it is to have this illness.”
In polymyalgia rheumatic, people suffer from stiffness and pain in their upper arms, shoulders and hips. This mostly occurs when the patient wakes up from sleep and starts working, remaining idle for long time. With fibromyalgia, muscle issues can occur in the same parts of your body and the pain is even more extreme.
Tests to check for some of these conditions include urine and blood tests, although you may also have X-rays and other scans. If you're found to have another condition, you could still have fibromyalgia as well.
It means that an MRI may help both with diagnosing fibromyalgia, as well as the identification of the individual patient's unique subtype of the syndrome. This level of detail will potentially help doctors create more customized treatment plans for their fibromyalgia patients.
Other researchers believe fibromyalgia is caused by a lack of deep sleep. It is during stage 4 sleep that muscles recover from the prior day's activity, and the body refreshes itself. Sleep studies show that as people with fibromyalgia enter stage 4 sleep, they become more aroused and stay in a lighter form of sleep.
What does fibromyalgia leg pain feel like? If you're suffering from fibromyalgia leg pain, you may experience throbbing, shooting, achy, or burning sensations in your legs. Often, you'll feel the pain at your fibro tender points, particularly inside of each knee and on the hip just behind your hipbone.
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.
The pain and stiffness from polymyalgia rheumatica is often widespread, and is worse when resting or after rest. Symptoms can improve with activity or as the day goes on. The pain may also wake you at night. It's also common to feel unwell or to have a slight fever, and you may lose weight.
Inflammation causes polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis, but scientists do not know what triggers it. Some studies have linked certain gene variants with the disorders, but these genetic links have not been consistent across different populations.
Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is still a somewhat controversial diagnosis, because it is not yet fully understood and its symptoms can overlap with many other conditions. Some people even say that it's a “garbage can” diagnosis that's only given when no other one can be made.
But research has since shown that there are no abnormalities in the musculoskeletal system in people with fibromyalgia. Instead, the problem appears to lie in the pain processing pathways of our central nervous system—the bailiwick of neurologists. Today, both rheumatologists and neurologists treat fibromyalgia.
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 FM/a ® Test analyzes your immune system's white blood cells for their chemokine and cytokine protein patterns. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia will show an abnormal pattern of these protective proteins.
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.
If you have fibromyalgia, one of the main symptoms is likely to be widespread pain. This may be felt throughout your body, but could be worse in particular areas, such as your back or neck. The pain is likely to be continuous, although it may be better or more severe at different times.