Fibromyalgia symptoms
There has been a lot of talk about Fibromyalgia lately as a lot of people suffer from Fibromyalgia symptoms. Some people think this is all in people’s heads, but I’m starting to believe it may be more than just a psychological condition. Many people suffer from Fibromyalgia many to the level that they have trouble holding down a job or even doing things they enjoy. Fibromyalgia is defined as:
Fibromyalgia (new lat., fibro- fibrous tissue, Gk. myo- muscle, Gk. algos- pain), meaning muscle and connective tissue pain (also referred to as FM or FMS), is a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to gentle touch (tactile allodynia). Other core features of the disorder include debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance, and joint stiffness. In addition, persons affected by the disorder frequently experience a range of other symptoms that involve multiple body systems, including difficulty with swallowing, functional bowel and bladder abnormalities, difficulty breathing, diffuse sensations of numbness and tingling (non-dermatomal paresthesia), abnormal motor activity (i.e. nocturnal myoclonus, sleep bruxism),and cognitive dysfunction. An increased prevalence of affective and anxiety-related symptoms is also well known. While the criteria for such an entity have not yet been thoroughly developed, the recognition that fibromyalgia involves more than just pain has led to the frequent use of the term "fibromyalgia syndrome". Not all affected persons experience all the symptoms associated with the greater syndrome.
Fibromyalgia is considered a controversial diagnosis, with some authors contending that the disorder is a ‘non-disease’, due in part to a lack of objective laboratory tests or medical imaging studies to confirm the diagnosis. While historically considered either a musculoskeletal disease or neuropsychiatric condition, evidence from research conducted in the last three decades has revealed abnormalities within the central nervous system affecting brain regions that may be linked both to clinical symptoms and research phenomena. Although there is as yet no generally accepted cure for fibromyalgia, there are treatments that have been demonstrated by controlled clinical trials to be effective in reducing symptoms, including medications, patient education, exercise and behavioral interventions.
People with Fibromyalgia have a hard time doing even limited tasks. There are some drugs which can help alleviate the pain people with Fibromyalgia experience but at this time there is not really a cure. Hopefully as more people start to suffer from Fibromyalgia then more research will be done in this area and a cure developed.
Welcome back!
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to you from the Pacific Northwest Foundation about a case study that may be of interest to your research into fibromyalgia. While this was not a study undertaken by the Foundation, it was a case with which we have had access to in virtually every detail. This includes the chart notes (with the patient’s approval) as well as the observations and insights of the patient’s health care provider.
The case involves an adult female who had been disabled for eight years with diagnosed fibromyalgia. Within four months of treatment, she was able to backpack, regularly work a full day and have little or no pain.
As with all our studies, it is our hope to stimulate additional efforts to determine if these results were an aberration or have wider implications. To this end, we wanted to make you aware of the cast study (which can be found online at http://pnf.org/html/fibromyalgia.html), in the hope that it might prove useful as a starting point for research within your organization.
Thanks and kind regards,
Frank Cook
Pacific Northwest Foundation