I Hurt All Over... How to Ease Away the Pain of Fibromyalgia!

At one point, the life of activity consumed with enjoyable activities such as biking, golf, going to the movies, to dinner. Then one day, it was gone. Replaced with constant pain and fatigue. Here's the lowdown on fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common form of arthritis seen in rheumatology practice. This is actually a form of soft tissue rheumatism. Typically, the patient will complain of feeling achy all over, as chronically tired, and feeling like you are walking around in a constant fog. Often the patient will complain of short-term memory problems.

American College of Rheumatology has set the criteria by which fibromyalgia symptoms can be classified. It is a history of widespread pain for three or more months and pain in 11 of 18 tender point sites when 4 kilograms (about 9 pounds) of pressure is applied. When accompanied by a history of chronic fatigue and non-restorative sleep (waking up and feeling like you're sleeping), there is a strong suspicion that fibromyalgia is to blame.

People with fibromyalgia experience two unique responses to stimuli. They perceive normal stimuli as painful and painful stimuli are perceived as more painful than it should be.

These abnormal responses are thought to be due to abnormalities include pain processing pathways in the central nervous system.

The history and physical examination is the first step in the assessment. Unfortunately, there are no specific laboratory tests to confirm the diagnosis. However, tests can be helpful in excluding other conditions that can mimic fibromyalgia, such as hypothyroidism, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment consists of a combination of four approaches. The first is patient education. Talk with the patient's diagnosis and presenting what are the options. Another is the Institute of medicine. They may include one or more of the following:

O Analgesics, which help to control pain. An example would be a drug such as tramadol

for antidepressants that are used for their ability to raise serotonin and nor-epiephrine levels in the brain. Examples include amitryptiline, fluoxitene and duloxitene.

O as muscle relaxants cyclobenzaprine

on anti-seizure drugs such as gabapentin

on anti-fatigue medication (Modafinil)

third therapy is non-impact aerobic exercise that helps increase production of endorphins in the brain and helps to recondition muscles.

Finally, the fourth is cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps in setting goals, coping and other measures that reduce the sense of victimization that people with fibromyalgia often have.

fibromyalgia can be treated effectively. It is important that the patient seek a qualified rheumatologist and compassion to help them.