DO YOU HAVE FIBROMYALGIA ?
What is Fibromyalgia ?
Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome, or just FM., is a chronic (long-term) condition that causes pain all over the body.
The name fibromyalgia comes from three Latin words:
- 'fibro' meaning fibrous tissues - such as tendons (bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones) and ligaments (bands of tissue that connect bones to bones)
- 'my' meaning muscles
- 'algia' meaning pain
However, the condition does not just affect the muscles, ligaments and tendons, but is felt all over the body. This results in widespread pain and fatigue (extreme tiredness).
How common is fibromyalgia?
It is estimated that fibromyalgia affects around 4.5% of the population across the globe. That means that in England and Wales, there could be up to 1.76 million adults with fibromyalgia.
Anyone can develop fibromyalgia, although the condition affects more women than men. In most cases, fibromyalgia occurs between 30 and 60 years of age, but it can develop in people of any age, including children and the elderly.
What is the Outlook for FM Sufferers ?
As the cause of fibromyalgia is still not fully understood, there is currently no cure, although there are a number of treatments aimed at easing the symptoms. Treatment tends to be a combination of:
- medicines (such as antidepressants and painkillers)
- talking therapies (such as counselling)
- lifestyle changes (such as better sleeping habits and relaxation)
In particular, exercise has been found to have a number of important benefits in people with fibromyalgia, including reducing pain. (See the exercising section)
For most people, the symptoms of fibromyalgia are permanent, although they can vary in severity. Many people find support groups provide an important network where they can talk to other people living with fibromyalgia
How Can You Tell if You Have Fibromyalgia?
How is it diagnosed ?
Diagnosing Fibromyalgia is not straight forward. To start with, you need a sympathetic doctor who understands the existence of FM. Unfortunately there are still GP's out there who do not recognise the condition, but this is becoming less frequent.
Often it is only looked at when all other conditions tested for are ruled out. You will usually be sent to the Rheumatology department of your local hospital, who may also send you to physiotherapy for a consultation.
Your Doctor or Rheumatologist should ask about your pain symptoms and then press on a series of anatomically-defined soft tissue body sites called "tender points." There are 18 tender points on the body that will usually be highly sensitive to pressure in people with fibromyalgia as specified by the American College of Rheumatology criteria. People who do not have fibromyalgia are much less tender to pressure applied at these tender points.
These 18 sites are used for diagnosis clusters around the neck, shoulder, chest, hip, knee and elbow regions. In more in depth studies, over 75 other tender points have been found to exist, but are not used for diagnostic purposes.
Whilst the symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia fluctuate from person to person, there is one common symptom that all agree on - they ache all over. The pain can feel like a deep bone ache, pins and needles, or a stabbing or burning pain. Muscles may feel like they have been pulled or overworked. There are times this pain is mild, others when it is so severe that it becomes unbearable.
Along with pain, many Fibromyalgia sufferers report headaches, poor sleep, fatigue, depression, mobility issues, and irregular bowel habits. Many others simply describe their symptoms as "flu-like."
For further details on diagnosis, symptoms, and help, please visit the links & leaflets page on this site.
