Fibromyalgia Symptoms - Discover What They Are and Which is the Most Important Symptom
Fibromyalgia Syndrome is an illness that has been talked about for at least the last twenty years, but that doesn't mean it's a new problem at all.
In our grandmothers' day, it simply was called rheumatism.
Fibromyalgia has been around for decades in its more-or-less current form and certainly for hundreds of years, remembered more as chronic pain, aching, hurting necks, backs and so forth.
Doctors often associate it with the condition that we recognize as Arthritis, because of their many closely related symptoms.
Maybe that's why Rheumatologists see Fibromyalgia patients even though the illness doesn't fit neatly into the medical classification category covered by Rheumatology.
(Think non-joint swelling and disfigurement and you'll see why.
) If you're going to understand Fibromyalgia to (a) determine if you or someone you know has it, and to (b) decide what your next step is in getting rid of it, you must learn the basics and then further your knowledge from there.
So let's take a close look at the most accepted symptoms.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms for Diagnostic Purposes: 1) Widespread body pain.
You must have widespread body pain in all four quadrants of your body for a minimum of three months in duration.
(That's pain located in the left and right sides of the body, above the waist and below it.
Most people experience pain at least in the neck, front of the chest, shoulders and upper back, mid-back and lower back.
It can be sharp, stabbing pains or chronic pain that is more dull, aching or throbbing in nature.
Also, you can experience these symptoms in the face, head, arms, trunk, legs and feet.
) 2) Tender points.
You must experience a fairly high degree of pain when pressure is applied to at least 11 of 18 designated tender points scattered throughout those same four quadrants.
Most doctors know how to locate these tender points and can push a finger with an approximate force of 4kg or roughly the amount of pressure needed to blanche the skin color.
They gauge your reaction to this pushing.
The stimulus often elicits a marked degree of body discomfort in someone who has that particular tender point in an active flare.
There are tons of symptoms associated with having Fibromyalgia, but the most talked about are chronic pain (in the muscles), morning stiffness, cognitive dysfunction or memory impairment (a.
k.
a.
Fibro Fog), fatigue and sleep dysfunction.
Others can be irritable bowel syndrome (both over- and underactive), headaches, dizziness or balance problems, fainting, skin sensitivities, light sensitivity, intolerance to heat, cold, or damp weather, relapse after prolonged exertion, occurrences of stress-related conditions (like Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome TMJ), inflammation, autoimmune symptoms, depression and various hormonal imbalances.
Also some people express an overlap of symptoms with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and exhibit more immune system irregularities, such as recurring infections or not being able to fight off opportunistic infections (a.
k.
a.
, most any infectious agent that comes along).
Other times the immune system problem may express itself more as an allergy problem with chronic sinusitis symptoms or Rhinitis.
But no matter what your symptoms are, no part of having Fibromyalgia really seems to get better until you have your sleep problems under control.
All notable health professionals agree on that fact.
Good quality, restorative sleep seems to be a critical key to turning around your health and getting well from this tough chronic illness called Fibromyalgia.
In our grandmothers' day, it simply was called rheumatism.
Fibromyalgia has been around for decades in its more-or-less current form and certainly for hundreds of years, remembered more as chronic pain, aching, hurting necks, backs and so forth.
Doctors often associate it with the condition that we recognize as Arthritis, because of their many closely related symptoms.
Maybe that's why Rheumatologists see Fibromyalgia patients even though the illness doesn't fit neatly into the medical classification category covered by Rheumatology.
(Think non-joint swelling and disfigurement and you'll see why.
) If you're going to understand Fibromyalgia to (a) determine if you or someone you know has it, and to (b) decide what your next step is in getting rid of it, you must learn the basics and then further your knowledge from there.
So let's take a close look at the most accepted symptoms.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms for Diagnostic Purposes: 1) Widespread body pain.
You must have widespread body pain in all four quadrants of your body for a minimum of three months in duration.
(That's pain located in the left and right sides of the body, above the waist and below it.
Most people experience pain at least in the neck, front of the chest, shoulders and upper back, mid-back and lower back.
It can be sharp, stabbing pains or chronic pain that is more dull, aching or throbbing in nature.
Also, you can experience these symptoms in the face, head, arms, trunk, legs and feet.
) 2) Tender points.
You must experience a fairly high degree of pain when pressure is applied to at least 11 of 18 designated tender points scattered throughout those same four quadrants.
Most doctors know how to locate these tender points and can push a finger with an approximate force of 4kg or roughly the amount of pressure needed to blanche the skin color.
They gauge your reaction to this pushing.
The stimulus often elicits a marked degree of body discomfort in someone who has that particular tender point in an active flare.
Remember: Don't think you're a baby for expressing your displeasure during this part of the doctor visit.3) Other symptoms.
The natural reaction of most people with Fibromyalgia is to jump around the exam table trying to avoid this tender points testing.
However, this is a critical testing measurement if your doctor is to document this important symptom in you correctly.
Usually on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest degree of pain), simply let him or her know how much each tender point hurts.
During this exercise, your doctor also may be determining your degree of impairment and what types of treatment might be best for you (e.
g.
some type of physical therapy, stretching, massage, etc.
).
There are tons of symptoms associated with having Fibromyalgia, but the most talked about are chronic pain (in the muscles), morning stiffness, cognitive dysfunction or memory impairment (a.
k.
a.
Fibro Fog), fatigue and sleep dysfunction.
Others can be irritable bowel syndrome (both over- and underactive), headaches, dizziness or balance problems, fainting, skin sensitivities, light sensitivity, intolerance to heat, cold, or damp weather, relapse after prolonged exertion, occurrences of stress-related conditions (like Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome TMJ), inflammation, autoimmune symptoms, depression and various hormonal imbalances.
Also some people express an overlap of symptoms with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and exhibit more immune system irregularities, such as recurring infections or not being able to fight off opportunistic infections (a.
k.
a.
, most any infectious agent that comes along).
Other times the immune system problem may express itself more as an allergy problem with chronic sinusitis symptoms or Rhinitis.
But no matter what your symptoms are, no part of having Fibromyalgia really seems to get better until you have your sleep problems under control.
All notable health professionals agree on that fact.
Good quality, restorative sleep seems to be a critical key to turning around your health and getting well from this tough chronic illness called Fibromyalgia.
