Fibromyalgia: Symptoms, Root Causes, Types of Pain, Diagnosis & Treatment!

Fibromyalgia: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment!

What is Fibromyalgia, and What fibromyalgia means?

Fibromyalgia or Fibromyalgia Pain Syndrome is an idiopathic (meaning without a known cause) disease. Fibromyalgia is a chronic and widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder with generalized tender points. 

It is a multisystem disease, and fibromyalgia symptoms are long-term, body-wide pain in muscles, ligaments, and tendons – the soft fibrous tissues in the body. Other fibromyalgia symptoms are sleep disturbance, restless sleep, awakening feeling tired, morning stiffness, fatigue, headache, anxiety, depression, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).  

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), fibromyalgia affects an estimated 5 to 6 million Americans.

Fibromyalgia word comes from the Latin term for fibrous tissue (fibro) and the Greek words for muscle (myo) and pain (algia). People with fibromyalgia indeed endure widespread, chronic muscle discomfort.

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia (FM) are widespread chronic pain, unrefreshing sleep, physical exhaustion, and cognitive difficulties. Fibromyalgia was formerly classified as an inflammatory musculoskeletal disease but is now considered an illness primarily affecting the central nervous system. Scientists do not fully understand what causes fibromyalgia, but people with the disorder have a heightened pain sensitivity.

Management of patients who describe fibromyalgia symptoms as chronic pain all over the body, associated with sleep disturbance, overwhelming fatigue, alteration in mood, or psychological distress that worsens the quality of their life is often complex and challenging. As a result, this syndrome has been named by terms such as “neurasthenia,” “fibrositis,” and “fibromyalgia.”

Fibromyalgia typically starts in middle age, and fibromyalgia symptoms in females are more common and intense, but it can also strike men and people of all ages, including children. In addition, people with autoimmune conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis are more prone to the disorder than the general population.

Fibromyalgia is a common rheumatologic disorder that is underdiagnosed. The prevalence of fibromyalgia in the general population of the United States is reported to be 5.00 percent in women and 0.5 percent in men. Most fibromyalgia symptoms increase steadily through 80 years of age and then decline. Fibromyalgia symptoms in females are observed ten times more often than in men. Fibromyalgia is usually considered a disorder of women 20 to 50 years of age; however, it also has been observed in males, children, adolescents, and older persons. Fibromyalgia is more common in relatives of patients with fibromyalgia, suggesting the contribution of genetic and environmental factors.

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

It is yet unknown what causes fibromyalgia; hence the condition is considered idiopathic. Why fibromyalgia occurs, and the cause of fibromyalgia remains somewhat of a mystery. This chronic condition is thought to be caused by an error in how your brain processes pain. Lower levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin or norepinephrine can cause feelings of fibromyalgia symptoms such as fatigue or exaggerated pain.

The truth is that what causes fibromyalgia is unknown. Still, it’s thought to be related to abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain and changes in how the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and nerves) processes pain messages throughout the body.

It’s also suggested that some people are more likely to develop fibromyalgia because of genes inherited from their parents.

In many cases, the symptoms of fibromyalgia appear to be triggered by physical or emotional things like an injury, infection, or stress.

Is Fibromyalgia an Autoimmune Disease?

Fibromyalgia is not an autoimmune disease. However, it does accompany other autoimmune rheumatic and endocrine disorders. As per scientific research, fibromyalgia is a neurological disease affecting a person’s sensory processing system. Fibromyalgia does not involve inflammation or damage to joints. Instead, brain imaging and studies have shown fibromyalgia is a central nervous system disorder.

Are Fibromyalgia and Neuropathy Related?

The Mystery Deepens Fibromyalgia with Small Fiber Neuropathy. The current research provides further evidence that fibromyalgia is essentially a neurological disorder.

There is evidence of nerve damage in about half of fibromyalgia patients. According to a study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), researchers published in the eminent journal PAIN found that almost half of a group of patients with fibromyalgia — a common syndrome that causes chronic pain and other symptoms — was found to have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy (SFPN).

Unlike fibromyalgia, which has had no known causes and few effective treatments, small-fiber polyneuropathy has a clear pathology. In addition, it is known to be caused by specific medical conditions, most of which can be treated, cured, and reversed.

Fibromyalgia and Small Fiber Neuropathy: The Plot Thickens! These new findings support fibromyalgia as a primarily neurological entity, nevertheless.

Potential Connections Between Fibromyalgia and Small-Fiber Peripheral Neuropathy!

Nerve Damage and Fibromyalgia:

Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital found that half of the sufferers of fibromyalgia symptoms have damage to nerve fibers in their skin and other evidence of a disease called small-fiber polyneuropathy. The discovery is vital to finding better treatments.

It is commonly seen that people with symptoms of fibromyalgia often suffer from peripheral nerve damage as well. However, it has also been seen that many patients with both conditions may also have symptoms of diabetes, such as tiredness, loss of energy, soreness, and muscle aches. 

In addition, peripheral neuropathy pain in the lower extremities may also be comparable to diabetes based on the tingling, sharp pains, and burning sensations associated with this type of neuropathy: foot neuropathy.

The causes and locations of pain experienced by people with diabetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia are very different. But despite these apparent differences, both entities have similar abnormal sensory complaints and pain qualities. Recent research hypothesized that similar sensory symptoms might be associated with similar mechanisms of pain generation. This opens the possibility of focusing on treatment strategies for patients suffering from fibromyalgia symptoms.

A scientific study has linked the pain of fibromyalgia to small nerve fiber neuropathy, which is painful damage to a specific part of a particular nerve. This could be a ground-breaking study, as fibromyalgia has previously been linked to nerve dysfunction but not to actual nerve damage.

What Fibromyalgia Feels Like, or What Fibromyalgia Pain Feels Like?

Fibromyalgia can make you extremely sensitive to pain all over your body, and you may find that even the slightest touch is painful. In addition, if you hurt yourself, such as stubbing your toe, the pain may continue for much longer than it usually would.

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are chronic, widespread pain throughout the body or at multiple sites. Fibromyalgia pain is often felt in the arms, legs, head, chest, abdomen, back, and buttocks. 

People often describe it as aching, burning, or throbbing. However, it is mainly felt at fibromyalgia pain points: Lower neck in front, edge of upper breast, arm near the elbow, knee, base of the skull in the back of the head, hip bone, upper outer buttock, back of the neck, and back of the shoulders.

Fibromyalgia symptoms in females are more intense and painful at fibromyalgia pain points.

Is Fibromyalgia an Actual Medical Condition, or Is it All in One’s Head?

The short answer to this query is that fibromyalgia is an actual medical condition, and fibromyalgia symptoms make its patients’ daily life miserable. About four to five million Americans have fibromyalgia. It’s a syndrome characterized by fibromyalgia symptoms like persistent pain that may have its origins in nervous system dysfunction. The medical world is now unanimous in accepting fibromyalgia as a real disorder.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scientists have discovered anomalies in the region of the brain responsible for processing pain signals in persons with fibromyalgia symptoms. It appears that this brain segment amplifies the intensity of normal standard signals, standard signals using the body to feel pain without a physical cause.

When the Fibromyalgia Pain is Severe, gets Worse and Causes Fibromyalgia Flare-Ups?

Fibromyalgia pain usually becomes severe or worse, or fibromyalgia flares up when the fibromyalgia patient is under stress, exhaustion, poor sleep, dietary shifts, hormone disruptions, and environmental factors all have a role in the development of fibromyalgia symptoms. In addition, giving birth, getting hurt or sick, having major surgery, experiencing significant life changes, or grieving can all bring on a fibromyalgia flare-up.

Fibromyalgia flares-ups are characterized by symptoms similar to the flu, such as body aches and tiredness, discomfort, and lethargy.

In fibromyalgia patients, a flare is a temporary increase in the number or severity of fibromyalgia symptoms. Attacks might last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Fibromyalgia symptoms may worsen if you’re exposed to something to which you’re allergic. Symptoms of fibromyalgia in women are more severe, with debilitating pain.

What is Fibrofog?

Fibrofog, also known as fibromyalgia fog and brain fog – is a common way to describe the brain-related problems that can occur with fibromyalgia. Scientists don’t yet fully understand its causes and effects, but treating sleeping problems, depression, fatigue, and chronic pain improves symptoms.

Fibrofog is a term coined by patient support groups to describe cognitive complaints associated with fibromyalgia. Dr. Glass, an eminent scientist, explained that patients with symptoms of fibromyalgia experience a decrease in memory, loss of vocabulary, and a lack of concentration, which are exacerbated in stressful work environments.

What Causes Fibrofog?

What Causes Fibro Fog? Scientists don’t know for sure. Some experts theorize that fibro fog may be related to the impact of fibromyalgia symptoms, particularly pain at fibromyalgia pain points. Managing chronic pain demands attention and may require mental effort, which can reduce available cognitive processing resources and affect performance on a cognitive task.k

Why does Fibromyalgia also Causes Fatigue?

One theory for why fibromyalgia also causes fatigue is that fatigue is the result of your body trying to deal with the pain. Fibromyalgia fatigue doesn’t go away even after sleep or rest. This constant reaction to pain signals in your nerves can make you sluggish and exhausted. People with fibromyalgia frequently also have trouble sleeping (insomnia).

According to the National Fibromyalgia Association, fibromyalgia affects between 3 and 6 percent of people worldwide.

Why does Fibromyalgia also Cause Anxiety?

The high correlation between fibromyalgia and anxiety may stem from the two having some physiological underpinnings. For example, Serotonin and GABA problems, among others, have been associated with both.

Malfunctioning Neurotransmitters: Chemical signals between brain cells are transmitted by neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) regulate several essential functions of the brain. Anxiety and fibromyalgia are associated with low activity levels of both substances—for example, stress.

Is Fibromyalgia Hereditary?

Although there is no clear genetic link between parents and offspring with fibromyalgia, the condition does seem to run in families. In families where someone with fibromyalgia is a close relative, the risk of having the disorder is several times higher than in families where no one has the ailment.

Fibromyalgia tends to run in families, and some scientists believe specific genes could make you more likely to develop it. However, the disorder also occurs in people with no family history of the disease.excruciating