Fibro What?

Fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS is a chronic musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder. Pain usually presents itself in the soft fibrous tissues of the body like the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. The syndrome is found in about two percent of the general population, between the ages of 20 and 50, although it can occur during childhood. This disorder does not discriminate, but research has found that it affects more females than males (75% versus 25%).

Signs and symptoms of FMS can include moderate to severe fatigue, needle-like feeling in skin, migraines, muscle aches, prolonged muscle spasms, limb weakness, nerve pain, dysfunctional bowel, and a chronic sleep disturbance known as Alpha-Delta sleep. For patients to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia they must have widespread sensitive to the touch pain in all quadrants of the body, along with some of the commonly associated symptoms above for at least three months. The 18 spots (sensitive tender points) used for diagnosis are around the neck, shoulder, chest, hip, knee, and elbow regions. Although the cause of FMS is unknown, there seems to be many events that trigger its onset. Some examples include: weather changes, hormonal fluctuations, stress, depression, anxiety, infections (bacterial or viral), and over exertion. Fibromyalgia may also run in families, but its exact heredity linkage is not yet known.

Presently there is no cure; its only treatment is medication like Cymbalta, Amitripyline, Neurontin, and Lyrica, which only help in reducing pain. For aiding sleep, medications like Ambien, Lunesta, Clonazepam, and Trazodone are prescribed. This disorder is neither degenerative nor fatal, but if gone untreated the persistent pain can get worse over time and become very life disabling.