Fibromyalgia and Treatment

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by pain and soreness in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and tenderness at specific ‘pressure points’ located at specific areas on the body. Many secondary symptoms accompany fibromyalgia, including fatigue, insomnia, depression, menstrual problems, and sexual dysfunction.

About 2% of the general population suffers from fibromyalgia, and condition tends to affect women more often than men. The chance of being diagnosed with fibromyalgia increases with age.

Fibromyalgia is not well understood within the medical community and for years was not even considered to be real illness by some physicians. Fibromyalgia often is found accompanying other chronic conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), endometriosis, and depression.

The exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known, but it frequently develops after a major trauma of some kind (although not always). Current scientific thinking suggests that fibromyalgia victims have a lower threshold for pain than other people, and some experimental and neurological evidence has been found to substantiate this theory.

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It is believed that this hypersensitivity to pain is kicked off by a combination of a genetic predisposition to fibromyalgia and a traumatic ‘trigger’ (like a bodily infection, an emotional trauma, or a secondary disease process) that makes the fibromyalgia become active.

In other words, a person could be predisposed to fibromyalgia genetically and never develop it unless some secondary trauma, injury, or illness occurs. As people age, they are more likely to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia because more secondary illnesses are possible and common, and it is often the secondary illness that triggers the fibromyalgia syndrome.

Fibromyalgia is diagnosed by eliminating other possibilities. Once a patient has been tested and found clear of all other suspected pathology, fibromyalgia is seen as more likely, especially if the distinctive soreness at pressure points is found, and especially if one of the major secondary illness or traumas is a factor as well.

Getting a diagnosis of fibromyalgia can take a long time, and it has been suggested that the diagnostic process itself can contribute to the problem.

Fibromyalgia sufferers often struggle with feelings of hopelessness and anger, and these two frustrations can lead to wrong diagnoses of depression, or correct diagnoses of depression that the patient takes as a denial of the physical condition (which has not yet been diagnosed).

In actual fact, fibromyalgia often overlaps with anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. Precisely how these disorders relate to the condition of fibromyalgia, which is marked by real physical pain, is still being studied.

Treatment for fibromyalgia is usually complex and ongoing, and typically involves drug therapy (analgesics, antidepressants, and anti-seizure medication), physical therapy (stretching and balance exercises, hot and/or cold compresses, hydrotherapy), and counseling aimed at reduction of stress and lifestyle adjustments.

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Fibromyalgia can be mild and come in waves or ‘flares’, or it can be chronic and extremely debilitating. The course of the illness is not well understood, and patients often have to become strong advocates for themselves in order to get the treatment that they actually need.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is often an effective component of fibromyalgia treatment. CBT helps strengthen fibromyalgia patients’ belief in their own abilities and helps them to manage stress more efficiently and easily. CBT is a process of ‘reframing’ thoughts and concepts so as to benefit the patient and help create a positive attitude and outlook.

Meditation, deep relaxation, and pain management techniques may be recommended. Fibromyalgia sufferers can experience social isolation, and often benefit from support groups and structured gentle activity.

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