Fibromyalgia characterised by pain all over the body
Fib romyalgia is a long-term condition characterised by widespread pain all over the body, often accompanied by fatigue, muscle stiffness, difficulty sleeping, problems with mental processes such as memory and concentration, and a high sensitivity to pain. It often appears to be triggered by a physically or emotionally stressful or traumatic event, such as giving birth, suffering an injury or infection, surgery, the breakdown of a relationship or the death of someone close to you.
It occurs more commonly in women than in men.
Symptoms
Symptoms often appear after physical trauma or psychological stress. However, in some cases symptoms gradually appear over time with no single event that might have triggered it being identified.
The main symptom is pain on both sides of the body above and below the waist and in the neck, back chest or abdomen that has lasted for at least three months. Often the pain is described as a persistent aching. There is also generally stiffness in the muscles, as well as tiredness and problems sleeping, thinking, concentrating and remembering things.
Sleep is frequently interrupted by pain. Some of those who have fibromyalgia also suffer from other sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome and sleep apnoea. Even if they manage to sleep for long periods, people with fibromyalgia typically wake up weary.
Headaches, including migraines, as well as depression and anxiety are common as well.
Other symptoms may include tingling or numbness in your hands and feet, facial pain or pain in the jaw, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and postural tachycardia syndrome, which is an abnormal increase in your heart rate after sitting up or standing.
Causes
The precise cause of fibromyalgia is yet to be established. However, it is believed it could be related to abnormal levels of certain chemicals in the brain and changes, as a result of repeated nerve stimulation, in the way that the brain, spinal cord and nerves process pain messages. The brain’s pain receptors seem to become extra sensitive to pain and overreact to pain or even react when there is no pain signal. There could be many factors leading to these changes, including genetics, since fibromyalgia tends to run in families.
Some illnesses appear to trigger or aggravate fibromyalgia. Such illnesses include flu, pneumonia, and gastrointestinal diseases.
The condition can also be triggered by a traumatic physical event, such as a car accident, or giving birth or having an operation or by stressful events such as the death of a loved one or the ending or a relationship.
Risk factors
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that can affect people of all ages, including children and the elderly. However, it occurs most frequently in women between the ages of 30 and 50. You may be more likely to develop fibromyalgia if you have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. You may also be more likely to develop fibromyalgia if a parent or brother or sister has the condition.
Complications
The pain, tiredness and poor sleep quality can interfere with your ability to function efficiently at home or at work.
Diagnosis
The main symptoms are the widespread pain in the upper and lower regions of your body on both sides of the body and in the axia region, which includes the neck, back, chest or abdomen. You may not have pain in all these five regions of the body but would have them in at least four of them, if you have fibromyalgia.
However, fibromyalgia is not easily diagnosed as many of the symptoms are common to other conditions. Your doctor may, therefore, want blood tests to be done to rule out some of those other conditions. These tests may include a full blood count and tests for your erythrocyte sedimentation rate, thyroid function, rheumatoid factors, celiac serology and vitamin D.
Treatment
There is no cure for fibromyalgia. However, there are various forms of treatment that help to relieve some of the symptoms and so make the condition easier to live with. Generally a combination of medication, psychotherapy, other types of therapy and lifestyle changes are most effective in treating the condition.
Medicines that may help include antidepressants, which may ease the pain and fatigue and help you sleep better, and over-thecounter painkillers. Anti-seizure medication may be prescribed to reduce certain types of pain.
Psychotherapy options, which are basically talking therapies, include cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling. These may help you to strengthen your belief in what you can do and teach you strategies for better handling stressful situations.
Physiotherapy can teach you exercises that will improve your strength, flexibility and stamina. Hydrotherapy, that is exercises in water, may be particularly helpful. Occupational therapy can help you make adjustments to your work area or how you perform certain tasks to make it easier for you to perform tasks at home and at work that will minimise the pain or overcome the difficulties you may have in performing these tasks.
Lifestyle changes include exercise, a healthy diet, having sufficient sleep and learning and practising relaxation techniques and how to manage stress.
Lifestyle
Exercise has particularly useful benefits for people with fibromyalgia. It has been found to help reduce pain. If you have not been exercising, when you first exercise this may increase your pain. However, if you persevere with exercising, doing it gradually and regularly, this may decrease your symptoms. Appropriate exercises include walking, swimming and cycling. Do not overexert yourself on good days but do not do too little on days when your symptoms are severe. To improve the prospects of having sufficient good quality sleep, go to bed and get up at the same time each day and go to bed early enough to ensure you have seven or eight hours sleep.
Allow yourself time to relax each day, while maintaining an active lifestyle. Find ways of coping with stress. Deep breathing exercises or meditation may help you learn to relax and deal with stress. Do something each day that you enjoy doing.
Eat healthy foods. Limit your caffeine intake. If you smoke, give up the habit. While smokers may feel that this is easier said than done, it is important to find ways of giving up smoking, as smoking contributes to many types of ill health.
The various types of therapy you may undergo – physiotherapy, psychotherapy and occupational therapy – are likely to help you improve your lifestyle and better manage your condition.
The information in this article is provided as a public service by the Cimas iGo Wellness programme, which is designed to promote good health. It is provided for general information only and should not be construed as medical advice. Readers should consult their doctor or clinic on any matter related to their health or the treatment of any health problem. — igo@cimas.co.zw or WhatsApp 0772 161 829 or phone 024-2773 0663