What Exactly Is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia (or pain in the muscles) is not a disease. According to ezinearticles.com, “It’s actually classified as a “syndrome” rather than “disease”. A “syndrome” is defined as a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease or the like. In contract, the word “disease” is a term which implies that all people with a given disorder have the same problem that result from the same underlying cause.”
“Its simplest definition is this – FMS is a medical condition that is characterized by chronic pain in the muscles and other soft tissue (ligaments, tendons, etc.). It is the most common cause of chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain.”
What is the typical symptom of fibromyalgia, you are probably asking, “97% of patients report pain as their main symptom and complaint. And, it’s the symptom that prompts sufferers to go to see their doctor. Pain can be described as being felt all over the body and is deep, sharp, dull aching, burning or throbbing. The sensations range from mild to severe and are felt deep within the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the joints. The discomfort from the pain can be so severe that it limits the sufferer’s ability to function at work or home and in life in general. Pain often increases with activity, stress and cold or damp weather.”
“Along with muscle pain, 75% of sufferers complain of stiffness upon awakening in the morning. The duration of the stiffness varies in each patient with it lasting only a couple of minutes in some and hours in others. With others it seems to be present all day then worsening again in the evening.”
Those with fibromyalgia have what is called “tender points,” “Tender points are sensitive or tender areas around the joints (not the joints themselves) that hurt when pressed with a finger yet don’t cause pain anywhere else in the body. There is no inflammation that accompanies these tender areas and the location of tender points are in predictable places in the body. A physician in-the-know when diagnosing FMS will conduct a tender point exam to determine how many of the predictable sites are tender as well as the degree or severity of the tenderness. The source of tender points are not known.”
“25% of FMS sufferers complain about having great difficulty maintaining their attention on activities such as work, reading or completing a task. They also mention being forgetful and experiencing general confusion. Some patients talk about being unable to complete the rest of a sentence or easily losing their train of thought. This is commonly referred to as “fibro fog”. Because there is no test to confirm or detect this in an individual, it can add to the sufferer’s frustration.”
“There is no cure for Fibromyalgia. However, more and more therapies, treatment options and support systems are available to help sufferers get back in the game of life and even resume their normal lifestyle before their FMS diagnosis.” Good luck with the fibromyalgia. Feel better