Fibromyalgia Pain Symptoms
As you get older, your risk of developing fibromyalgia increases. Unfortunately, there is no known trigger for fibromyalgia, so there is no surefire way to avoid it. Living with fibromyalgia can mean suffering from debilitating pain and fatigue. There is a cloud of mystery surrounding fibromyalgia that is frustrating for those who have been diagnosed with the disease.
-
What Is Fibromyalgia?
-
Mayo Clinic describes fibromyalgia as a chronic condition that has a wide variety of symptoms. Chronic pain is almost always part of the equation, combined with a feeling of exhaustion. People with fibromyalgia often wake up tired even though they have had a full night's sleep. The exhaustion can intensify the pain. Some people with fibromyalgia also have secondary symptoms of depression, migraines and restless leg syndrome.
Pain and Diagnosis
-
When physicians make a fibromyalgia diagnosis, it is based on strict criteria that have been instituted by the American College of Rheumatology. The first set of criteria denotes the presence of "widespread pain." For a person to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, her pain symptoms must be located on both the left and right sides of the body, and must also exist both above and below the waist. One of the following four pain symptoms must also be present: cervical spine pain, thoracic spine pain, lower back pain or anterior chest pain.
To meet the second set of required criteria, 11 of 18 fibromyalgia-related pressure points must show signs of tenderness. -
The Pressure Points
-
The pain in the pressure points may be less noticeable at times and excruciatingly painful during other times. For the purposes of a proper diagnosis, the physician will press firmly on each of the 18 pressure points in the affected person's body. To qualify as one of the necessary 11 painful spots, the National Fibromyalgia Research Association says the pressure must produce a painful reaction that would be equal to pressing on a skin bruise.
Pressure Point Locations
-
Signs, Symptoms and Cures for Fibromyalgia explains that a person may also have random feelings of throbbing, stabbing and shooting pain. Fibromyalgia pain will often be concentrated in the areas surrounding affected pressure points. There are two pressure points at the base of the skull, and another two at the lower base of the neck. Other pressure points are between the shoulder blades, in the middle of the back, and another two in the area of the scapula. Each set of ribs has a pressure point located at the second rib. Other pressure points are at the side of each elbow. There are also two more pressure points at the buttocks, one on the upper part of each thigh and a final pressure point in the middle of each knee.
Help for Fibromyalgia Pain
-
There is no cure for fibromyalgia. The most that physicians can do for fibromyalgia sufferers is to ease the pain. Arthritis Today suggests that a weekly exercise routine, combining aerobic exercise and strength training can relieve fibromyalgia symptoms by as much as 39 percent.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.sxc.hu/index.phtml
