Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and tender points. It often occurs in women ages 35-60 and symptoms include muscle and joint pain, sleep issues, headaches, and tender points in specific areas. While the exact cause is unknown, factors like physical trauma, genetics, and repetitive injuries may play a role. There is no lab test to diagnose fibromyalgia, rather it is diagnosed based on reported symptoms and tender points. Treatments focus on pain management through medications, exercise, acupuncture, and lifestyle changes like stress management and sleep hygiene.

1. Fibromyalgia
About:
Fibromyalgiaisadisorderthataffectsthemusclesandsofttissues.Symptomsoffibromyalgiaare
severebodypains,mentaldistress,jointpainslikearthritis,fatigue;sleepproblems,whichcanbe
managedthroughpropermedicationsandlifestyle changes.
Thesesymptomsaccumulateoveraperiodoftimeduetomanyreasonssuchasphysicaltrauma,
surgery, infection or psychological stress. There is no particular reason for this problem. No lab
tests or X-rays shows up the problem. Doctors diagnose it based on the symptoms. Fibromyalgia
doesnotdamage yourjointsororgans.
Symptoms:
Themainsymptomoffibromyalgiaismusclepainthroughoutthebody,sleep problems,stiffness
in joints and muscles in early hours, headache, irritable bowel syndrome, painful menstrual
cramps, sensitivity to cold and heat, restless leg syndrome (RLS), fatigue, anxiety or depression,
numbnessortingling.
Fibromyalgia oftencomeswithotherpainful conditionssuchas
• Migraine
• Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome
• pelvic and urinary problems
• nausea
• jointdisorders
• problem whileurination
Who can get fibromyalgia?
Womenbetween35to60yearsofagehavehighchancesofdevelopingfibromyalgia.Womenare
more likelytoget 10timesmorethan men.Even doctorsaren’t sureaboutthis.
Causes:
The exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known. However, present thinking in the arena of
Rheumatology advises that fibromyalgia is a problem with central pain processing in the brain,
wherethere maybean enlargedsensitivityorperceptionofpaintoa giventrigger.

2. Therearemanyfactorsthatareincluded:
• Physical traumasuchas car accidentor any other.
• Genetics- women whose close relative with fibromyalgia have higher risk of
developing thedisorder.
• Repetitiveinjuries
• It may occur due to Rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune diseases, such as
lupus
• jointdisorders
• Central nervous system (CNS)problems
Diagnosis:
Fibromyalgiaisverydifficulttodiagnose,asthesymptomskeepvaryingandtherecouldbeother
disorders. The symptoms are very much similar to other conditions like hypothyroidism or
rheumatoidarthritis.
There is no specific X-ray or blood tests or scans to confirm fibromyalgia. The diagnosis of
fibromyalgia wasmadebasedonthespecifictenderpointsincertain partsofyourbody.
Earliersome miscellaneouspointswere usedtodiagnose the condition,butnowit isnolonger
recommendedtodiagnosefibromyalgia.
Miscellaneous points:
“Miscellaneous points or Tender points” are the definite areas of the body where fibromyalgia
causes severe pain. The areas includes back of the head, inner knees, and outer elbows. The pain
passesontoneckandshoulders,theouterhips,andtheupperchest.Doctorsanalyzefibromyalgia
based on the heaviness at these points. However, this method is not practiced to diagnose the
condition anymore. Instead of precise areas, fibromyalgia is recognized by the harshness and
chronicnatureofthepain.
Treatment:
There is no permanent cure for fibromyalgia, but it can be managed with medications and
therapies.
Manypeople tryacupuncturein the first 2years. It mayworkbutitneedsmoreexploration.
Medicationismost importantbecause fibromyalgia isdifficulttomanage asit ischronic

3. syndromeandeverypatienthasdifferent setofsymptoms.Sothetreatmentswillbesuggested
accordingtothepatient.Sometreatmentsareasfollows:
• regular exercises
• acupuncture
• psychological therapies includes relaxation,coping withstress,
• occupational therapists
• massage
• chiropractic care
• low-dose anti-depressants, although these are not the first-line treatment
Patients with fibromyalgia need to work with their doctor to come up with a
treatmentplan thatprovides thebestresults.
Drugs:
Doctorsprescribe drugstoreducethesymptomsbuttheycannot curethedisease,the treatment
willhelptoreducethepain,sleepdisorder, ordepressionassociatedwithfibromyalgia.
For some people drugs may give side effects so check with your doctor before starting them.
Intake of drugs should be stopped if there is no benefit. Generally doctors prescribe the below
medicinestoease the symptoms.
• Over-the-counter (OTC)pain relievers.
• Antidepressants, such as duloxetine, or Cymbalta, and milnacipran, or Savella,
may help reducepain.
• Anti-seizuredrugs,suchasgabapentinalsoknownasNeurontin,andpregabalin,
or Lyrica,may beprescribed.
Youneedtodiscusswithyourdoctorabouttheimprovement ofthepains.Basedon your
feedbackdoctorscandothenecessarychangesandhelp youovercome fromfibromyalgia.
How to manage the symptoms:
Manypeople sufferingfromfibromyalgiahave leant tomanage theircondition,Sothat theycan
leadtheirlivescomfortably.

4. Exercise:
Usuallywhen you’reinpain,youmaynotlike toexercise but lackofactivitycanleadtoother
problemslike muscle weakness. Acombination ofaerobicactivityandexerciseswillimprove
yourflexibility.Exercisecanalsohelpyoutogeta betternight'ssleep.
Exercisemeansincreasingthe circulationofoxygen throughtheblood.Swimming, walkingand
cyclingaremostlyrecommended.
Diet:
Thereisnoparticulardiet recommendedforfibromyalgia,buteatingabalanceddietwithplenty
offruitsandvegetables,andalsomaintaininga healthyweight isveryimportant.
Acupuncture:
Somepatientshaveexperiencedgoodimprovementintheirlife afterstartingacupuncture
therapyand massage forfibromyalgia. Thesetherapieseasethepainanddiscomfort;butdonot
give longtermrelieftothe symptoms.Some people alsofoundbenefit fromcapsaicincreamand
homeopathy.Butthecapsaicincreammight notbe practicalfora widespreadpain.
Behaviormodificationtherapy:
Behaviormodificationtherapyisaprocedure ofcognitivebehavioraltherapy(CBT)that helps
diminishnegativestress-orpain-increasingbehaviorsandreinstatepositive, mindfulbehaviors.
CBTisveryeffective forpeople whohaveimpropersleep.
Sleep:
Gettingenoughgoodqualitysleepisveryimportant totreat fibromyalgia. It willnotonlyhelp in
reducingtirednessandfatiguebutalsohelpsin minimizingpain. Toget goodsleepyoumaytry
these-keep yourroomtemperature warm, take hotshowerbefore goingtobedmayhelp ease
painandstiffness, listen tomusic, gentle exercisestoreduce muscletension, avoidalcohol, teaor
coffeein thenight,avoidsmoking,don’t use mobilesortabletsoranyotherelectronicdevicesin
thebedroom,developasleeproutine.