Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia Syndrome or FMS, is essentially an overall musculoskeletal discomfort and chronic fatigue disorder. Those with FMS report having an all over achy feeling, like their muscles have been overused or pulled. Along with this feeling, there can be muscle twitches and burning. The symptoms are comparable to a person who has a really bad flu with severe aches, pains and an overwhelming weak and fatigued feeling. This is why it is sometimes thought that Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue may be one and the same thing. Aside from the muscular pain and fatigue there are quite a few more symptoms that may appear.

Some other symptoms of FMS include sleep disorders, irritable bowel, chronic headaches and facial pain. As far as sleeping goes, the FMS patient is able to fall asleep but it was proved with researched that level 4 deep sleep was constantly interrupted by awake-like brain activity. The patient may also suffer from bowel problems such as constipation, diarrhea, gas pains and nausea. Intense recurrent migraine or tension headaches are prevalent in about 70% of Fibromyalgia patients. Along with these headaches, a condition known as Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome may be present. This causes extreme jaw-related and face pain.

Although the causes of Fibromyalgia are not widely known, there may be some events that trigger the acquiring of this syndrome. Some of these maybe a viral or bacterial infection, a physical trauma such as a car accident, or developing another disorder such as hypothyroidism, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. The onset of these things will not cause the Fibromyalgia per say, but may bring on the hidden physiological abnormality the person already has.

There are theories concerning the kinds of abnormalities that are “hiding” in a Fibromyalgia sufferer’s bodies. These could be related to alterations in chemical transmitters that suppress pain, depressed immune system function, hormonal irregularities, and perhaps sleep physiology. With the modern medical testing that we have available, studies are being conducted using brain imaging.

The common treatments for Fibromyalgia have a main goal of improving sleep quality and reducing extreme pain. Since sleep quality is crucial, especially at the Stage 4 level, a number of different medications can be prescribed such as muscle relaxants and sleep aids. The medications may increase the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine which in turn help with sleep, pain and various other immune system functions.

Right now, Fibromyalgia continues to be a chronic condition which may wax and wane through the course of a person’s life. The goal that each person with this should have is to personalize their therapy to minimize the symptoms, avoiding what triggers certain symptoms and using what works to relieve the pain. Hopefully in the years to come this syndrome can be cured instead of just simply managed.