Fibromyalgia is often referred to as “soft tissue rheumatism.” This name is misleading, though, because the pain doesn't come from soft tissue (e.g. muscles) and it isn't a rheumatic disease.
“Chronic fatigue” is the term for a symptom that most people with fibromyalgia have. Chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS, is a separate illness. Many people with fibromyalgia have sleep disorders before fibromyalgia develops. So, in that case, yes, chronic fatigue can lead to fibromyalgia.
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.
Yes! The muscle pain, fatigue, inability to sleep and other symptoms can make it impossible to work in the job you are qualified for. That's the standard that must be proved to win an insurance claim. Successful TPD claims have been won for fibromyalgia against many different super policies.
Fibromyalgia has long presented a puzzle for doctors. It's considered a syndrome—a collection of related symptoms and problems without an identifiable cause—rather than a disease. Those related symptoms include: Chronic widespread pain, often accompanied by numbness, tingling, and burning.
Fibromyalgia is often triggered by an event that causes physical stress or emotional (psychological) stress. Possible triggers include: a serious injury, such as after a car accident. an infection, such as Epstein-Barr virus or Lyme disease.
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.
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.
Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus.
Fibromyalgia can cause pain, disability, and a lower quality of life. US adults with fibromyalgia may have complications such as: More hospitalizations. If you have fibromyalgia you are twice as likely to be hospitalized as someone without fibromyalgia.
Newer guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology don't require a tender point exam. Instead, the main factor needed for a fibromyalgia diagnosis is widespread pain throughout your body for at least three months.
While MS and fibro may have some symptoms in common, they are ultimately distinct conditions with very different causes and treatments. Fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis are both chronic diseases with no cure. Fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis can both cause some of the same symptoms.
Key Differences Between MS and Fibromyalgia
MS is an autoimmune disease caused by a problem within the immune system that causes damage to the layer covering the nerves. Fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by abnormal levels of chemicals in the brain.
In this sense, it has been demonstrated that patients with FM are subject to more significant mental stress and anxiety during COVID-19. Thus, these patients have exacerbated symptoms of pain, fatigue, and sleep quality compared to control patients (without FM) with COVID-19 (Salaffi et al. 2021).
The most helpful treatment approach for fibromyalgia is a combination of self-care, physical activity and cognitive-behavioral therapy. But medication may also be needed. Many drugs prescribed for fibromyalgia work to turn down “pain volume” in the central nervous system (CNS).
The study involved 20 patients with Fibromyalgia who received MSCs. The researchers found that MSCs could reduce inflammation and improve the patient's immune system function. These studies suggest that stem cell therapy may be a promising treatment option for Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia was formerly classified as an inflammatory musculoskeletal disease but is now considered to be an illness that primarily affects the central nervous system.
The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are: Chronic, widespread pain throughout the body or at multiple sites. Pain is often felt in the arms, legs, head, chest, abdomen, back, and buttocks. People often describe it as aching, burning, or throbbing.
Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia
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.
“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.”
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.