Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition.  It is characterized by exhaustion, and continuous pain in the muscles and soft tissues.  Usually the pain intensifies greatly, if even the slightest pressure is applied to the painful area. Fibromyalgia that affects the body on both sides, as well as above and below the waist is said to be ‘widespread’.  Points where pain is most acute are called trigger-points.

Although fibromyalgia can occur in anyone, at any age, it appears more in females and usually becomes apparent in early to middle adulthood.  There is slight, but significant, possibility that if you have rheumatoid arthritis, if you suffer from sleep disorders, or if you have a family member with fibromyalgia, you also will develop the condition.

If you are constantly exhausted and hurt all over for no discernible reason, you may have fibromyalgia.  This is a condition that used to be considered ‘All in your head’.  That is no longer the case. Fibromyalgia is a serious and debilitating condition.  If you know someone with fibromyalgia, you must be gentle when you touch them.  The most well meaning hug can cause intense pain.

Although fibromyalgia can cause intense pain, and weariness, as well as weakness and stiffness, it is not thought to cause any damage to any organs in the body or bodily processes.   It can however, due to its very symptoms, cause depression and loss of sleep and interfere with work and other daily activities.

The exact cause of fibromyalgia is as yet unknown.  Studies underway seem to indicate that there is heightened activity in the brains of fibromyalgia sufferers in the area where pain is processed.  Those with fibromyalgia  seem also to feel a controlled degree of pain with greater intensity than non-sufferers feel the same degree of pain.  The memory of pain is retained much longer.  There may also be chemical changes in the brain itself.

There is no test that can confirm the presence of fibromyalgia.  It is usually diagnosed by the duration, location, and extent of the pain along with its response to pressure.

Treatments for fibromyalgia usually consist of medications to reduce pain and inflammation, as well as medications for depression.  Some anti-seizure drugs have been found effective in extreme cases.  Gentle, but regular, exercise and physiotherapy are both useful to treat the symptoms of fibromyalgia.  Treatments often vary depending on the severity of the symptoms.  If you have fibromyalgia, your family doctor will help you decide on the most suitable plan of treatment.  At the present time there is not known cure for fibromyalgia, but with care and treatment, the condition can be managed.