Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain all throughout the body, sometimes also referred to as widespread pain. This disorder is usually accompanied by fatigue, as well as cognitive, sleep, and mood issues. Researchers believe that this condition magnifies the sensation of pain because of the way the brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals.
Oftentimes, people tend to confuse fibromyalgia symptoms with those typical of joint inflammation or arthritis. Some people with fibromyalgia are also more sensitive to pain that those without the condition. This is also referred to as abnormal pain perception processing.
Many times, symptoms start after a certain type of event like a physical trauma, infection, significant psychological stress, and surgery. Other times, even without a particular triggering event, symptoms can slowly accumulate over time.
About 4 million US adults suffer from fibromyalgia, which is around 2% of the adult population. Moreover, women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than men. More often than not, it is accompanied by temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, tension headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression.
Oftentimes, physicians don’t necessarily consider fibromyalgia during a patient’s first few assessments since pain is a common symptom of a variety of other health conditions. This is also the reason why diagnosis normally takes around five years for patients to be diagnosed properly with fibromyalgia. Understanding the kind of pain, as well as the actual location, alongside other symptoms may help your doctor arrive at the proper diagnosis sooner.
While there is no known cause for fibromyalgia, when diagnosed properly, it can be treated and managed effectively. There are a number of medications that can help control the symptoms, while relaxation, exercise and other stress-reducing activities are said to help as well.
Here are 12 of the most common signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia.
1. Pain
The most common symptom of fibromyalgia is pain. Many times, it is referred to as widespread pain, and it is often described as a continuous dull ache that has lasted for at least three months or more. Moreover, to be called “widespread pain” it also should be felt on both side of the body, as well as above and below the waist, at times shifting from place to place as well, with the doctor checking to see if you meet the criteria for a diagnosis. Patients shouldn’t have other conditions, such as arthritis, which could also explain the pain.
Pain from fibromyalgia is found in the muscles and other soft tissues, like the joints. But what makes it different from other health conditions is that it can affect different areas all over the body, such as the neck, middle and lower back, shoulders, arms, hips and legs. While some feel it all over the body, others only feel it in particular muscles, such as their back and legs. The pain is also described in various ways such as aching, burning, throbbing, stabbing, soreness, shooting, and stiffness.
In addition, the pain can be so intense that it keeps someone home and unable to participate in other activities. A National Health Interview survey conducted back in 2012 found that at least ‘87 percent of participants reported having pain on most days or every day of their lives.’ While the pain intensity can also vary depending on the time of day, it can also sometimes be worse due to exercise, stress, weather, and a lack of sleep.
