What is fibromyalgia?

Recently many people are trying to find out what is fibromyalgia, therefore this article was written to familiarize them with the subject and different fibromyalgia definitions. According to the medical definition of fibromyalgia it is a disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue (feeling tired). People suffering from fibromyalgia have "sensitive points" on their body. Sensitive points are specific places on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs. These points hurt when pressure is put on them.

People with fibromyalgia may also have other symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, morning stiffness, headaches, painful menstrual periods, tingling or numbness in hands and feet, problems with thinking and memory (sometimes called "fibro fog").

Definition of fibromyalgia encompasses such symptoms as heightened sensitivity of the skin (also called allodyna), achiness in the muscle tissues, tingling (often needle-like) of the skin, prolonged muscle spasms, nerve pain and weakness in the limbs. Chronic sleep disturbances are also common symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Moreover, many patients can suffer from cognitive dysfunction, which may be described as impaired concentration and short-term memory, impaired performance in various tasks, inability to perform many tasks at the same time, and cognitive overload. Many experts believe that this so called "brain fog" is directly linked to the sleep disturbances experienced by sufferers of fibromyalgia. However, the relationship has not been strictly established.

Now, that we have answered the question what is fibromyalgia let's proceed to describing the causes and possible treatment of this disorder.

Causes of this disorder still remain unknown, but there is some evidence that suggest that it may be created by a certain central nervous system abnormality that increases a person's sensitivity to pain. Fibromyalgia can, but does not always, result from some traumatic experience such as a car accident, major surgery, severe injury or disease. Symptoms are often aggravated by unrelated illness or changes in the weather. They can become more tolerable or less tolerable throughout daily or yearly cycles; however, many people with fibromyalgia realize that, at least partially, the disorder prevents them from performing normal day-to-day activities such as driving a car or walking up stairs.

As far as the treatment of fibromyalgia is concerned similarly to many other syndromes, there is no universally accepted cure for fibromyalgia. However, some physicians believe to have found cures. Nonetheless, steady interest in the syndrome on the part of academic researchers as well as pharmaceutical interests has led to improvements in its treatment, which varies from symptomatic prescription medication to alternative and complementary medicine. Most medications are used only to treat specific symptoms of fibromyalgia, such as muscle pain and insomnia. Muscle relaxants may be used to treat the muscle pain associated with the disorder.

Fibromyalgia can affect every aspect of a person's life. Although it is neither degenerative nor fatal, the chronic pain associated with fibromyalgia is persistent. FMS can severely restrict social activity and recreation, and as many as 30% of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia are unable to maintain full-time employment. Similarly to other disabilities, people suffering from FMS often need accommodations to fully participate in their education or remain active in their careers.

Top Fibromyalgia search queries: