Fibromyalgia – What’s that?
In my own words….
Fibromyalgia is an undetermined Chronic Pain Disorder made up of a variety of physical, mental, and, nerve type symptoms, and its sufferers are in constant pain even when they’re smiling at you 🙂
We endure a combination of symptoms and illnesses not just chronic pain and these symptoms are discussed in the section of the site called ‘Simply Symptoms’.
(Causes and Symptoms of Fibromyalgia are discussed in separate sections of the site.)
From what I have read, the Medical Professional experts & researchers cannot decide if it is a type of arthritic disease, genetic, auto-immune disease, (CNS)or (ANS) Central /Autonomic Nervous System disorders, just to name a few for example, or, even a combination of them.
Some don’t even believe that it actually exists and that it is a type of psychosomatic disorder which develops after enduring trauma of some kind. It is this attitude that makes Fibromyalgia invisible, among other things, and a reason to campaign for it to be recognised as real. 🙂
Trauma is said to be one of the main factors behind Fibromyalgia, but it all depends on how you interpret ‘Trauma’, and also what context you take it in. Trauma can be deciphered in many ways with key referencing to physical and psychological reasonings. However, none of that is scientifically discussed or referenced for this particular post.
The information below is gathered from my favourite medical info HOTSPOTS and between them they can tell you a lot about Fibromyalgia as an illness and what it is! 🙂
This is what my favourite fibro medical info sites have to say about ‘what Fibromyalgia is?’:
Charity ~ Fibromyalgia Action UK (FMA UK)
( formerly FibroAction and Fibromyalgia Association UK)
What Is Fibromyalgia?
‘Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition of widespread pain and profound fatigue. The pain tends to be felt as diffuse aching or burning, often described as head to toe. It may be worse at some times than at others. It may also change location, usually becoming more severe in parts of the body that are used most.’
This article has been extracted from the free Information booklet that FMA UK provides. To have this information presented in a professional A5 booklet, as well as the other articles please request one from the office.
This link takes you to the FMA UK website www.fmauk.org
Patient.co.uk says:
‘The word fibromyalgia means pain (algia) coming from the muscles (my) and fibrous tissues (fibro) such as tendons and ligaments. Most people with fibromyalgia also have other symptoms in addition to the pains. Therefore, fibromyalgia is often referred to as fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and It is classed as a persistent (chronic) condition.’
This link takes you to the general Fibro Pages:
Patient.co.uk – fibromyalgia-leaflet
‘Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder. The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but there is some evidence for a genetic predisposition, abnormalities in the stress response system or hypothalamic-pituitary axis, and possible triggering events.’
This link takes you to the patient professional Fibro reference pages:
PATIENT PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE
Why not sign up with Patient for health news and advice and symptom checker >>>
NHS Choices says:
‘Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.’
Read more at:
For more health advice and information visit the home page for Health A-Z
Symptoms, conditions, medicines and treatments >>>
WebMd says –
Fibromyalgia overview
‘Fibromyalgia syndrome affects the muscles and soft tissue. Symptoms include chronic muscle pain, fatigue, sleep problems, and painful tender points or trigger points, which can be relieved through medications, lifestyle changes and stress management.
The pain may begin gradually or have a sudden onset. Other symptoms are muscle spasms, fatigue, muscle tissue stiffness and non- restorative (unrefreshing) sleep.’
Check out this direct link to WebMd Fibromyalgia Health Centre to find out more:-
What is Fibromyalgia? in the words of the Arthritis Foundation:
Opening Paragraph
‘Fibromyalgia is a condition associated with widespread chronic pain, fatigue, memory problems and mood changes. Fibromyalgia is not a single disease, but a constellation of symptoms that can be managed. It is not life threatening and does not lead to muscle or joint damage.
Researchers suspect that different factors, alone or in combination, may contribute to the development of the disease. An infectious illness, physical trauma, emotional trauma or hormonal changes may trigger the development of generalized pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances that characterize the condition.’
Read more at :
Arthritis Foundation – fibromyalgia
What other types of arthritis are there? find out here:
www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/
Arthritis Foundation Home Page
What the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research in America says:
By Mayo Clinic Staff‘Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals.
Symptoms sometimes begin after a physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event.’
Follow this link to read more:
Mayo Clinic Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
Mayo Clinic Home Page:
American Chronic Pain Association says:
‘Fibromyalgia is a medically unexplained syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to pressure (allodynia). Other core symptoms are debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbance, and joint stiffness. Some patients may also report difficulty with swallowing, bowel and bladder abnormalities, numbness and tingling (paresthesia) and cognitive dysfunction.’
For more info and fibro interactive learning visit:
The ACPA – American Chronic Pain Association
My Summary
All my fave Fibro Medical Hotspots imply that Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder which is characterized by pain throughout much of the body and can, then, ‘in my opinion’, be referred to as a being a ‘Chronic Pain Disorder’. Whether it is a Neurological, Rheumatological (or combination of both), or an Auto-Immune Disorder is still wide open for debate.
One thing for sure is that all my fave Medical Info HOTSPOTS agree that it is a REAL condition and a Chronic one at that!
I think that our CNS does have a role to play after reading D Clauw’s recent research studies and ‘Central Sensitisation Syndrome’ or ‘Pain Amplification Syndrome’ are good names/analogies, which some people say are other alternatives of what fibromyalgia should be called. Please find a link at the end of this post
I also like the idea of it stemming from the nerve endings in our hands too, which you can also find a link for at the end of the post.
Personally, I believe my own fibrmyalgia to have stemmed from all the sublaxations of joints, sports injuries and numerous falls that I’ve had over the years, and also the over extension of varying joints due to my Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS), which is a genetic collagen / Connective tissue disorder. Just because my JHS is genetic does not mean that so is my Fibro! Taking into account that and the fact that fibro means fibres I am forced to personally think that ‘connective tissue disorder’ is ‘connected’ there somehow, please excuse the pun 🙂 However, I’m no medical scientist / medical researcher / medical professional, so I can’t tell you that is what fibro is! 😉
One thing I ask all of you to do is to remember that we are all different with differing illnesses and genetic make-ups, meaning none of us are the same so how our fibro affects us will be different even the way it is treated and looked at.
The exact cause or exact type of disorder Fibromyalgia… is still unknown!
Other questions that are often asked in connection to what Fibromyalgia is:
Is it genetic?
Link to find out about what makes a genetic disorder
- NHS Choices – Genetics: How genetic conditions are inherited
- National Human Genome Research Institute~ Frequently Asked Questions About Genetic Disorders: What are genetic disorders?
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Is it an inflammatory disease?
Link to find out ‘What is the definition of Inflammatory Disease / Inflammation’?, via website:
- medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com
- What is the definition of Inflammatory Disease / Inflammation?
Is it connected to Hypermobility Syndrome (HMS) a connective tissue disorder or others disorders?
Link to Charity – Hypermobility Association (HMSA) website:
Link to Charity – Ehlers Danlos UK website
Is it an undiagnosed kind of Thyroid disease? – Please visit ThyroidUK (TUK) for all thyroid related questions as I am not well read in the subject matter and there they will be better placed to answer your Questions 🙂
Link to ThyroidUK website:
Please note that some links are subject to change (Updated 17th March 2018)
Further reading:
FibroFlutters post from Section – Interesting medical news stories,blogs and research
FibroFlutters post from Section – Interesting medical news stories,blogs and research
FibroFlutters post from Section – Interesting medical news stories,blogs and research
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