Pain all over. Exhaustion. Brain fog. What is going on here? It could be fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by widespread pain in the upper and lower body lasting more than three months. It affects about 5 million Americans over age 18, most of them women. Fibromyalgia is sometimes referred to as an “invisible disease” because the sufferer looks fine on the outside, but is still experiencing widespread pain and fatigue for no clear reason.
Along with chronic pain and tenderness, other symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
Researchers believe that fibromyalgia may be the result of the body’s pain signals going haywire. Many people with fibromyalgia can point to a specific incident or condition that triggered their pain, such as trauma sustained in a car accident or the onset of arthritis. Some sufferers may have experienced emotional or physical abuse as children. Scientists think these events can change the way the body interacts with the spinal cord and brain, affecting the pain-processing areas. Research also suggests that certain genes might make some people more susceptible to fibromyalgia than others.
Diagnosing fibromyalgia can be tricky. The pain associated with fibromyalgia isn’t caused by inflammation, so there isn’t one definitive test, such as an MRI, X-ray or blood test that will point to it. Plus, many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia can mimic symptoms of other diseases, such as hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. So, before settling on a fibromyalgia diagnosis, doctors often run many tests to rule out other possible conditions.
Although much still needs to be learned about this disease, the American College of Rheumatologists (ACR) has developed standards that can help doctors diagnose fibromyalgia. The ACR standards designate 18 points on the body where many people with fibromyalgia often feel pain, including the neck, shoulders, hips, elbows, knees and others. Of course, people who have fibromyalgia may have other painful areas, but those 18 sites are used for the ACR fibromyalgia classification.
Keep a record of your symptoms and talk to your doctor about them. While it can be difficult to pinpoint fibromyalgia, your doctor at Riverview Health can work with you to eliminate other possible causes of your pain and find the right diagnosis. Once you have a diagnosis, there are a variety of resources and treatments available that may offer you some relief.
Has it been a while since your last check-up, or do you need a new physician? Call us at 317.565.0535 to request an appointment.
Sources: NIAMS.NIH.gov, NLM.NIH.gov, Rheumatology.org
