Once fibromyalgia strikes, it’s conditions are generally widespread pain that’s accompanied by overall fatigue. The actual causes remain suspect and are still unknown, while it’s not considered a life threatening condition. What it causes however is pain, moodiness, and a lack of quality restful sleep.
Every single muscle and fiber in the body screams out in pain, these areas being tender and painful to the touch. You’ll constantly feel physically tired, stressed out, devoid of any energy, as well as sore internal bodily function issues.
These are the initial symptoms of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a medical condition that’s characterized by an overall sweeping and widespread chronic pain in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, along with fatigue and pain in the tender points.
These tender points are areas of the body where even just a slight touch of pressure can cause pain. These areas are usually in the neck, back, shoulders, arms, hips, and leg area, where you feel pain once the slightest pressure is applied.
There are more women than men who are affected by fibromyalgia, and it can show up at any age. This condition can also be referred to as chronic muscle pain syndrome, rheumatism, or tension myalgias.
The symptoms can vary depending on how severe it is. In some cases, the symptoms won’t disappear completely. There are treatments along with self maintenance procedures which can be applied.
The Signs And Symptoms Fibromyalgia
It’s thought that there are a variety of known factors which can affect fibromyalgia, the main culprits being too much physical activity, stress, the weather, and even the time of day.
Feeling Widespread Pain
Once pressure is applied directly on the specific areas of the body, including the back of the head, neck, upper back, upper chest, hips, or the knees, pain and overall stiffness is often felt and usually persists.
Fatigue Along With Sleep Disturbances
Those who suffer from this condition will often wake up tired, this even if they get adequate amounts of sleep. The reason being that the deep REM sleep cycle is disrupted by sudden and frequent bursts of brain activity.
These bursts are similar to when one is fully awake, thus, not getting the deep restorative stages of sleep. There may also be nighttime muscle spasms in the legs, as well as restless leg syndrome.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS
Which includes lower body function issues such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and abdominal pain, which are common with those suffering from fibromyalgia.
Facial Pain And Headaches
Pain which is associated with headaches along with facial pain, that’s related to the stiffness along with the tenderness in the neck area, as well as the shoulders.
Heightened Sensitivity
Those with fibromyalgia will usually become sensitive to excessive noise, odors, touch, and bright lights. Other symptoms can include depression, difficulty concentrating, chest pain, moodiness, dry skin and mouth, anxiety, numbness and tingling sensations in the hands and feet area.
The Possible Causes Of Fibromyalgia
There’s currently no known cause of fibromyalgia. There are however recent studies and findings which focuses on the theory known as “central sensitization.”
What this claims is that those suffering from fibromyalgia may have a lower threshold for pain, this because of a higher than normal increased sensitivity by the brain to activate pain signals.
This is thought the reason why those with fibromyalgia appears to overreact whenever even just the slightest pressure is applied on a certain area of the body, which wouldn’t hurt or bother someone else under normal conditions.
What’s not known are the triggers which initiates the process of central sensitization, which continues to baffle the researchers.
Additional Causes
Other theories on the cause of fibromyalgia includes:
• Sleep Disturbances – Some experts suggest that disturbed sleep patterns can possibly be the cause, this rather than being a symptom of fibromyalgia
• Past Injuries – Past accidents which caused body injury or trauma, this particularly in the upper spinal region, which may of affected the central nervous system, can potentially trigger the development of fibromyalgia
• Previous Infections – There are some who believe that the remnants of a previous viral or bacterial infection may potentially trigger fibromyalgia
• Abnormalities In The Autonomic Nervous System – Once the sympathetic nervous system doesn’t function normally during the night, what it leads to is fatigue, dizziness, stiffness, along with other symptoms which are associated with the condition
The sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the autonomic nervous system, controls all the involuntary bodily functions such as the blood vessels, heart rate, sweating, contraction, salivary flow, and all intestinal movements
• Changes In Muscle Metabolism – Once there’s a decreased flow of blood to the muscles, what it contributes to is decreased strength and increased fatigue. The difference in metabolism along with the abnormalities in the hormonal substance, are thought to play a role
Seeking Medical Attention For Fibromyalgia
Once you begin to experience overall general body pain, or if it becomes widespread which lasts for several months and is accompanied by fatigue, it may be time to seek treatment.
Most symptoms of fibromyalgia can mimic other diseases such as hypothyroidism, lupus, neuropathies, multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis. Your doctor should be able to tell if one of these other conditions may potentially be causing these symptoms.
Fibromyalgia isn’t progressive and it doesn’t lead towards other serious conditions or known diseases. Regardless, it can be painful, depression along with a lack of quality sleep can set in.
The issues which are associated with fibromyalgia can potentially interfere with your quality of life, along with the normal bodily functioning you would enjoy at home or at work, so medical attention should be considered.