Fibromyalgia – Understanding the Illness without Known Treatment

Fibromyalgia, also known as FM, non-articular rheumatism, soft tissue rheumatism and fibrositis, is a chronic pain illness characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches and stiffness, soft tissue tenderness, general fatigue, and sleep disturbances.

Although fibromyalgia is a recent medical finding, it is a relatively common disease among Americans affecting over three percent of all people. Findings discover that this disease is more likely to develop in women rather than men. The risk of having fibromyalgia also increases with age.

Common Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Although there are no two people who would experience the same symptoms, making fibromyalgia a more difficult illness to understand. Sufferers generally do experience similar symptoms.

Pain is one of the major and distinguishing symptoms of this illness and it would usually involve the tender point on the body particularly in the neck, spine, shoulders and hips. Pain usually starts to develop in one area such as the neck or lower back first before spreading to other parts of the body. These localized pain, known as trigger points can cause terrible and immense pain when pressure is applied on them. Sufferers also experience widespread aches and pain, numbness, tingling and burning sensation. The degree of the pain is also often worse off in the morning and during cold and humid weather changes.

The other main characteristic of fibromyalgia is chronic fatigue, possibly related to disturbed sleep patterns. Fatigue and sleep disturbances is affecting about 90% of fibromyalgia sufferers. It is believe that the fatigue involve with fibromyalgia is much more than that of being tired only. It is common for sufferer to wake up as tired as when they went to sleep. Fatigue will also remain for the rest of the day and is understood to be very exhausting both physically and mentally. Sufferers will not have the ability to even continue with his simple daily activities.

Some lesser common symptoms reported include irritable bowel syndrome, mild to moderate depression, migraine headaches, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.

The Diagnostic Process
At present time, the diagnostic process can take years because fibromyalgia remains a condition that continues to baffle doctors. It is label as a often misunderstood disease since the symptoms associated with the illness are so commonly seen in many other diseases and that there is also no clear cut laboratory tests such as biopsy tissue samples, blood tests or x-ray results to give doctors any clue or whatsoever. It also does not help in the diagnosing process when people with fibromyalgia can also look healthy and show no clear signs of pain or fatigue at all.

The only diagnostic method is through the identification of symptoms shown namely the presence of pain and aches on tender points, and fatigue. Laboratory tests can also be conducted to rule out other illnesses that share similar symptoms with fibromyalgia. Thyroid, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Lyme disease and Polymyalgia rheumatica are some conditions that can be rule out.

Medical science is still a far cry from identifying a cause for fibromyalgia. It is a fact that this disease exist and unfortunately, there are still no known cures for it. It is advisable for people who suspect that they have fibromyalgia to consult a doctor with experience in this syndrome. A rheumatologist is the most often the best choice to consult.

Today, patients have only few choices to manage their condition and can only lessen the symptoms associated with it. Fibromyalgia still remains as an idiopathic condition without a known cause or proven proper treatment to fully cure the disease. Hopefully, we can see a breakthrough in the near future.

Moses Wright is a webmaster of Health, Fitness and Wellbeing site. He offers more useful information on Fibromyalgia Prevention and Causes of Fibromyalgia that you can find online on his website. You can reprint this article if you keep the content and live link intact.