Fibromyalgia, a common long-term syndrome that affects many people, causes a person to experience body-wide tenderness and pain in their tendons, joints, muscles, and soft tissues.
Fibromyalgia has also been connected to anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep problems, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), concentration and memory problems, tingling or numbness in hands and feet, palpatations, and headaches. Although the exact cause of this condition is not know, possible factors can include:
Infections Emotional or physical trauma Abnormal pain response- the pain centers of the brain may work differently in patients with fibromyalgia Disturbances of sleep Women who are 20 to 50 years old are the most common sufferers of this symptom. Although there is no cure for the condition, there are treatments available to help lessen the severity of the symptoms. Physical therapy, a fitness and exercise program, and stress relief methods such as relaxation and light massage are commonly used non-medicinal treatment methods. There are medications that can help relieve stress and relax muscles, with the goal of these medications being to improve sleep and increase pain tolerance. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is also an important part of treatment, as it helps patients learn coping methods and ways to monitor and overcome their symptoms.
Our AOK Spine and Pain physicians are well versed in the many symptoms and treatment methods for fibromyalgia. Our goal is to help relieve the symptoms of the condition for our patients, as well as teaching the patient coping methods to improve their quality of life.