Do you suffer from-
- Pain all over the body for more than 3-6 months but especially worse in neck and back.
- Unable to concentrate
- Persistent tiredness that doesn’t improve with sleep or rest.
- Poor quality of sleep with frequent awakenings.
- Do you feel lack of freshness in the morning?
- Morning stiffness in the body.
- Irritability and anger of late even with minor things.
- Headaches and Jaw pain.
If yes then you may be suffering from Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia patients feel neck and back pain with very sensitive skin. Even on minor touch they feel pain. Mostly all lab reports are usually normal or not able to explain patient's pain. Patients are frustrated as they usually visit multiple physicians without any decent relief. Mostly the patients are Females.
What causes fibromyalgia?
Though the exact cause of Fibromyalgia is unknown, what we do know is that there is a problem in pain perception. Simply speaking in Fibromyalgia nerves are over excited and there threshold is very low. So patients may feel pain with the things which may not cause pain in others. We also know that Fibromyalgia can be triggered by accidents, Surgery and trauma also. Fibromyalgia can also have a genetic basis thus running in family.
Can we predict if someone will get fibromyalgia?
Anyone can get fibromyalgia. Over the years we have seen that Women, those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and lupus can develop fibromyalgia.
How do we diagnose Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia can be hard to diagnose and only a qualified doctor having treated many patients over the years can diagnose it. There is no specific test and diagnosis is based on a detailed history taking with physical examination. Most symptoms can be so vague that mostly patients are mis-diagnosed as having Cervical pain, osteoarthritis etc.
Treatment of Fibromyalgia-
There has been a large change in the way fibromyalgia is treated in the last 2 decades. It involves a holistic approach involving the patient and his/her family for long-term relief. Initially very selective Nerve Medicines are given to relieve patient of his long-standing pain. Slowly a few postural modifications are advised along with some basic exercises. As disturbances in a sleep-wake cycle can worsen fibromyalgia symptoms, patients are advised to maintain a regular Sleep-wake cycle.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is a must. Regular swimming and yoga can loosen the stiff muscles and gives a lot of relief to patients. One of my patients who was very young is now completely free of pain after starting swimming.
Initially simple stretching and walk is started even for 10-15 minutes every day. Slowly strength training and aerobic exercises are also started. The best long-term relief in fibromyalgia patients comes from exercise only.
Most patients are able to get good relief provided they do regular follow up for a few months.