What Is Fibromyalgia?
Even defining Fibromyalgia can be difficult, never mind diagnosing and treating it.
Primarily, it can include a group of symptoms that include general pain in the body, and musculo-skeletal stiffness. Secondly, from these symptoms there are other issues such as localised pain, difficulty sleeping (and the corresponding tiredness).
The tricky thing is that if an area of the body is experiencing pain, it won’t necessarily show that it’s inflamed or damaged. The sensation of pain still comes from the area, but some people believe that it’s because of an over-active pain sense in the body.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms
- The Pain experienced is often worse after rest, or in the morning
- The extreme tiredness is a killer
- Mental / Cognitive Problems where you can’t focus or concentrate
- Poor Sleep Patterns
- Sometimes digestive issues, stomach pain or intestine issues, and even diarrohea
Causes Of Fibromyalgia
The best doctors and scientists in the world have still not managed to nail the cause of this illness definitively yet. Anecdotally, as I said above, it could possibly be caused by an overactive pain sense. Curiously, people with Fibromyalgia often have experienced a previous illness or contracted a virus so could this be the issue? Or they could be suffering a kind of Rheumatoid Arthritis, Previous Injury and even some mental health or stress issues. It’s complex!
Risk Factors
Finally, the statistics say that your risk is higher if you are female, and much more so if you have a family history of the disease, suggesting a genetic component.
Generally speaking, people with inflammatory health issues (such as arthritis) are also more likely to develop fibromyalgia, so make sure you are focusing on reducing your own inflammation.
Some of the ways this can be achieved would be through:
- Diet Plans
- Exercise Plans
- Sleep Plans
… all of which we provide you with in our Pain Kit!
