Fibromyalgia is a set of very painful symptoms that causes extreme fatigue which may extend to disability. This is a rheumatic syndrome characterized by a painful condition, muscular, diffuse, evolving chronically, associated with fatigue, morning stiffness, sleep disorders. Fibromyalgia the term comes from “fibro” for fibrosis, “myo” means muscle and “neuralgia” means pain. He was criticized by some doctors because there is no muscle fibrosis causing pain. The term “diffuse idiopathic polyalgic syndrome” or SPID, has also been proposed, but has not been the subject of an international consensus.
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by widespread pain throughout the body, pain associated with fatigue and sleep disturbances. This syndrome does not cause serious complications, but is very challenging and often prevents the sufferer to perform daily activities or provide a full-time job. The existence of this syndrome has been recognized since 1992 by the World Health Organization.
However, fibromyalgia is still unknown and misunderstood. Although the pains are real and very painful, doctors fail to detect injury or inflammation to explain these symptoms. For this reason, fibromyalgia has caused some controversy in the scientific community, to the point that doctors did not believe in its existence. Today, it seems that some physiological factors (nervous system abnormalities, hormonal disturbances, etc.) and genetic are involved. External events (trauma, infection …) could also be involved. However, the exact causes remain uncertain.
The difficulties in diagnosis, epidemiological data of fibromyalgia are uncertain. According to various studies, it concerns 2% to 3% of the general population in Houston, TX. Women are more affected by fibromyalgia than men: 80% of reported fibromyalgia are women. The sex ratio probably underestimates the male prevalence: acceptance of a muscle failure is probably more difficult for a man.
In addition, all ages are affected by fibromyalgia, including teenagers and children. Fibromyalgia syndrome or diffuse idiopathic polyalgic (SPID) Fibromyalgia is present in all industrialized countries. In North America (Houston, TX), the prevalence is 2% of the adult population, with 3.9% of women aged 20-40 years and 5.8% of women aged 40 -60 years.
Given the frequency of chronic muscle pain in fibromyalgia, it is legitimate to consider this hypothesis. However, only a few minor disturbances in muscle have sometimes been reported: reduced energy phosphates, redevelopment of the capillary endothelium. In contrast, biological analyzes do not reveal inflammatory disease. Many studies show a strong link between fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression, Anxiety disorders are often present before the onset of pain while depression occurs most often after the onset of fibromyalgia. The fibromyalgia often have a particular psychological profile, defined by a suitable character to the “doom and gloom” or “dramatization”, especially to pain.
An effective treatment option for fibromyalgia includes consulting with health care providers about the right drug for the management of pain. Analgesics are widely used in the treatment of fibromyalgia because it helps to relieve pain. However higher level painkillers and analgesics can be prescribed to reduce the pain, that is if the low level pain killers does not provide relief.
A lifestyle change that effectively treats the pain of fibromyalgia is getting enough sleep at night. This reduces the fatigue associated with this disease and help people accomplish their daily activities in Houston, TX. For a good night rest, creating a peaceful environment in the room such as removing TV and other distractions such as alarm clocks with flashing numbers, temperature control and purchasing a mattress support.
Regular exercise is effective in treating fibromyalgia. Absolute Physical Therapy & Fitness in Houston, TX, offers aerobics, pilates, yoga, walking and stretching exercises that helps relieve pain and reduce muscle stiffness. Light exercise will also be beneficial in helping fibromyalgia sufferers sleep better at night.