Fibromyalgia - Symptoms (2024)

FAQs

Fibromyalgia - Symptoms? ›

There is currently no single test to confirm a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. NYU Langone doctors ask detailed questions about your medical history and perform a comprehensive physical exam to evaluate your condition. Your doctor considers the location and type of pain you're experiencing, as well as any other symptoms.

There is currently no single test to confirm a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. NYU Langone doctors ask detailed questions about your medical history and perform a comprehensive physical exam to evaluate your condition. Your doctor considers the location and type of pain you're experiencing, as well as any other symptoms.

Fibromyalgia is a common condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness in the body. Each person with fibromyalgia will have their own set of symptoms. There is no cure for fibromyalgia, but symptoms can be managed.

Most people with fibromyalgia have at least one of these symptoms: fatigue, depressed mood, or sleep problems. Many people say that they cannot get to sleep or stay asleep, and they feel tired when they wake up.

Over-exertion

On those rare days when we feel pretty good, it's so hard not to try to catch up with all of the chores and activities we've been unable to do for the past month or two. But overdoing, even when you feel good, will usually come back to bite you in the form of a fibro flare.

1 Although it may be an invisible illness, fibromyalgia is a real condition. As many as four million American adults manage symptoms of fibromyalgia.

There have been some promising studies on a possible diagnostic blood test for fibromyalgia. It's called an FM/a test. The test collects plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in a small sample of your blood. It tests the concentration of cytokines within your blood sample.

Fibromyalgia can cause pain, disability, and a lower quality of life. US adults with fibromyalgia may have complications such as: More hospitalizations. If you have fibromyalgia you are twice as likely to be hospitalized as someone without fibromyalgia.

Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus. They have symptoms of widespread pain along with joint involvement.

Fibromyalgia is a contested illness. While some physicians characterize it as a purely organic illness based on abnormal pain amplification, others consider it a bio-psycho-cultural disorder with a multifactorial etiology.

Can you lose the ability to walk with fibromyalgia? ›

As a result, patients with fibromyalgia may lose their ability to walk faster or their capacity to maintain balance while standing as their gait changes, according to a study published in Frontiers in Human Science. They may also have difficulty moving about due to pain and stiffness.

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are: Chronic, widespread pain throughout the body or in multiple areas. Pain is often felt in the arms, legs, head, chest, abdomen, back, and buttocks. People often describe it as aching, burning, or throbbing.

Does sitting make fibromyalgia worse? Sitting for long periods of time can cause muscle aches and joint stiffness. This may lead to an increase in pain. To prevent symptoms flare-ups, engage in gentle physical activity every day and avoid sitting for long periods of time.

Walking is an effective treatment for symptoms' management in patients with fibromyalgia. However, despite its benefits, fibromyalgia patients face a variety of obstacles that result in reduced ability to sustain physical exercise.

Similarly, further studies show that this disorder weakens our brain's immune system. It does this by reducing the blood flow in the brain's pain center, hence affecting the neuron receptors. This eventually leads to increased pain and stress levels and a weak immune system that is incapable of fighting off bacteria.

Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus. They have symptoms of widespread pain along with joint involvement. Most rheumatic diseases are treated with medication and physical therapy.

The most helpful treatment approach for fibromyalgia is a combination of self-care, physical activity and cognitive-behavioral therapy. But medication may also be needed. Many drugs prescribed for fibromyalgia work to turn down “pain volume” in the central nervous system (CNS).

While fibromyalgia is a constant, dull pain, it can also involve sudden attacks known as flare-ups. Flare-ups of mild to severe pain come on suddenly and may feel like aching, throbbing, burning, or stabbing. The pain may be present in multiple tender points throughout the body, often affecting the lower back and legs.

The FM/a Test is a cytokine assay of in vitro stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Production of cytokines by stimulated immune cells in patients with fibromyalgia has been shown to be significantly different from that of healthy control patients.