If this the very first time you are hearing the word “fibromyalgia,” you need to know that it is a complex and sometimes chronic pain disorder, which leads to tenderness and pain when you try to touch the affected muscles or bones. Yes, fibromyalgia is a condition that causes tenderness and widespread pain in the tender areas of the body and leads to general fatigue.
Across the United States, this condition affects patients socially, mentally, and physically. Over 10 million Americans struggle with this condition, and the ratio is usually between 8-2 (in this case, women are more compared to men). This disorder can affect people of all ages, as well as children. The symptoms are often subjective, which means they are not easy to determine, and measuring them is not possible unless you go through some tests. Since it has no subjective symptoms, it means there is no particular known cause for the problem. In most cases, pain management in Atlanta specialists ends up misdiagnosing it with other diseases.
The Possible Symptoms You May Encounter
As mentioned above, this condition leads to chronic pain, causing widespread pain in the joints, muscles, and tendons, along with sleep problems, fatigue, and overall pain. Sometimes, people associate the pain with irritable bowel syndrome and tender joints, which causes even the slightest pain upon touch.
In patients, the fatigue goes to about 90% and it relates to abnormal sleeping patterns. The patients with this condition do not get sufficient restorative sleep, or the Rapid Eye Moving (REM) kind of sleep, which leads to fatigue symptoms. With different combinations of the symptoms mentioned below, patients experience the disorder. The symptoms often include:
- Memory loss
- Not being able to concentrate or focus well
- Forgetting things
- Irritation
- Changes in mood
- Anxiety problems
- Tension headaches and migraines
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Frequent urination, or bladder pain problems
- Numbness or tingling sensations in various parts of the body
The Areas That Experience the Pain of Fibromyalgia
If someone encounters this health problem, it spreads to at least eleven out of the eighteen known trigger points. Often, pain management specialists such as those at Kroll Care and others check it by pressing on to pressure points firmly.
The common areas that fibromyalgia affects include the:
- Hips
- Shoulder top
- Knees
- Upper chest area
- The back of the head
- Outer elbows
However, these points are no longer the main focus areas, rather, doctors will make a diagnosis and in case you report widespread pain for over four months with no medical condition, this should be the only reason behind the pain.
How a Pain Management Specialist Will Help
In general, pain management is the best plan of treatment that experts or pain clinics offer along with a combination of different therapies, such as physical therapy, medications, and others like nerve blocks. In addition, physical therapy, or massage therapy is an effective plan of treatment for the relief of pain, stress, and swelling. It just doesn’t treat the acute pain, but it also helps to determine the exact location or origins of the pain.
When you visit a clinic, they will focus on the management and diagnosis of chronic pain, as well as some specific diagnoses related to the area that experiences the pain. Pain clinics often use the approach that is multidisciplinary to help everyone that plays an active role to manage their pain and regain better control over their lifestyle.
Although most pain clinics offer different approaches to pain, most of them have a team that provides them with the best strategies to help manage their physical pain.
The Natural Medications that Help Fibromyalgia
You should know that the goal of physical therapy is to manage the pain that tags along with fibromyalgia and improve the life of patients. However, it is also possible to gain relief from medication and some self-care. You can turn to painkillers, where doctors often recommend over-the-counter pain killers. These help to reduce the side effects and also reduce the risks of dependence.
At other times, antidepressants can help to control depression and anxiety. In addition, the medications will also help to improve the quality of sleep of sufferers. You can turn to some ant seizure drugs as well if your doctor prescribes them to you.
Fibromyalgia is a painful condition, and it is always advisable that you consult experts and make sure that they help to treat your condition. They should guide you about the precautionary measures you can take and guide you about the exercise patterns you should implement.