Fibromyalgia: Symptoms and Treatment

Many people know very little if anything at all about fibromyalgia. This is a form of arthritis which causes chronic pain, tenderness of the muscles, joints and tendons. Stiffness is also a characteristic of this disease. It often causes depression, fatigue, restless sleep, awakening feeling tired, and bowel function problems. It is not life-threatening, is not progressive, but there is no cure for fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is not a new disease. It is not that widely know, but more people are learning about it daily. It is difficult to diagnose because symptoms are generalized pain and tenderness. Dr. Muhammed Yunua and his colleagues named this disease in 1981. It is defined as pain in the muscles and tissue. Fibromyalgia occurs in all ethnic groups. Women are approximately 8 times more likely to develop it than men. More and more knowledge about fibromyalgia is being learned, but the medical community does not yet understand the underlying pathology. Research continues for the cause and best treatments.

The diagnosis of fibromyalgia entered the mainstream in the U.S. in 1990. Diagonostic criteria provides an important basis to diagnose this disease. The tender point exam is the best method of diagnosing fibromyalgia. Many people do not realize they have tender points until someone familiar with the locations applies pressure to them. Many people with fibromyalga have went to an average of five doctors before receiving the correct diagnosis. Today on average, diagnosis is made more quickly because more doctors are becoming familiar with the tender point exam.

Diagnosis of fibromyalga is not solely determined by thender points. Lab tests to rule out other medical conditions along with a thorough medical history also aid in the diagnosis. There is no clear test for fibromyalga. Until recently, the cluster of symptoms that make up fibromyalgia were usually considered psychogenic or mental. The reasons for this is the patient looks fine, and because most of the sufferers are female, which some believe are less likely to be believed. In the late 1970s and early 1980s more research was made available about sleep abnormalities and reproducible tender spots in patients suffering from fibromyalgia, after this research medical professionals became less skeptical.

There does not seem to be any underlying pathology that becomes worse. Treatments are focused on alleviating pain and sleeplessness. Treatments usually vary for each person. They may include Medication to give you a better night's sleep, relax muscles, or to relieve muscle and joint pain. The treatments and self care steps can help improve fibromyalgia symptoms and your health overall.

Fibromyalgia has gained respect in the scientific and lay community due to increased research which has determined that this is a real disease and also determining that there are drugs that work well in treating this disease. This has been shown to be a long term problem which causes pain in muscles and soft tissue.

Some articles have been written which suggest that suggest that fibromyalgia is not real. These have caused quite a bit of turmoil. The articles did not attempt to help dispel the myth that people with fibromyalgia are crazy, depressed, or lazy, instead they focused on the minority of doctors who think fobromyalgia is not real.

One article in the New York Times claims that fibromyalgia is psychosomatic. How can there be any truth in this when the American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Rheumatology and the Social Security Administration recognize fibromyalgia as a diagnosable disorder.

It is important that health professionals and people suffering from fibromyalgia know and understand what this disorder is and how to treat it effectively.