Fibromyalgia: Symptoms and Treatments

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that can cause fatigue and diffuse pain in your muscles, joints,tendons or ligaments. It is not a progressive disease or life threatening. Women will be diagnosed with fibromyalgia more often than men. I tends to develop during early and middle adulthood. You may be more likely to develop fibromyalgia if someone in your family has it. There is also a connection between rheumatic diseases such as, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or ankylosing spondylitis and fibromyalgia. The symptoms of fibromyalgia are:

Diffuse pain in particular areas of your body when pushed upon. This may be in the in the chest wall, on the back of the head, on the hips or in the knees. This pain can last for months.

Fatigue. Those with fibromyalgia often feel exhausted all the time. One theory is, that a sleep disorder called alpha wave interrupted sleep pattern is the cause. In this condition, bursts of brain activity will interupt deep sleep and your brain starts registering activity as if it is awake. Those with fibromyalgia do not get the benefits of a deep restorative sleep.

Digestive disorders. This is characterized by a cycle of diarrhea and constipation. Bloating and abdominal pain can be common symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Facial and head pain. Many people who suffer from fibromyalgia experience headaches. Pain in the face is also common due to tenderness or stiffness in the shoulders and neck.

Depression and anxiety are common symptoms.

Tingling or a numb feeing of the feet and hands are common. Some people will report restless leg syndrome.

Mood changes and or difficulty with concentration.

Menstrual periods that have become more painful.

Diagnosing fibromyalgia is hard due to the fact that there is not a particular laboratory test that will point to fibromyalgia. You may have to endure a lot of other medical tests and xrays before you get to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The American College of Rheumatology has established guidelines to help diagnose fibromyalgia. To to diagnosed, you must have experienced diffuse pain for three months. You must have at least eleven locations on your body that can be tender under mild palpation. The treatments for fibromyalgia include:

Analgesics such as Tylenol may ease the pain of fibromyalgia. Tramadol is a prescription pain reliever that may be taken with or without Tylenol.

Antidepressants. Your doctor may put you on a antidepressant medication such as doxepin or amitriptyline to promote sleep. Zoloft or Paxil may help if you are experiencing depression.

Muscle Relaxants. Taking a muscle relaxer such as Flexeril at bedtime may help with muscle pain and spasms.

Anticonvulsants. Drugs used to treat seizures have shown some effectiveness in those with chronic pain.

Acupuncture was shown to significantly improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Massage therapy may be helpful in reducing the pain of fibromyalgia. Massage can lower your heart rate, help you relax your muscles and it will improve the range of motion in your extremities and joints. Massage has also been known to help your body produce a hormone can generate pain relief. It can also help get rid of anxiety and relieve stress.

Fibromyalgia is not curable and a lot of times it is a misunderstood condition. Try to find a doctor that is knowledgeable about fibromyalgia and it's treatments.