Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic disorder that is characterized by widespread muscle pain and fatigue that has no physical cause. The pain can be widespread, tender point pain or trigger point pain.
People suffering from FMS will wake up feeling tired and lethargic and will experience aching and stabbing muscle pain. These pains often disappear throughout the day.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia may be constant or can disappear and then recur months later. Females are more susceptible to Fibromyalgia than males and FMS often starts to manifest in early adulthood.
As with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, FMS is very hard to diagnose as blood tests and x-rays show no abnormalities.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
The most distinctive feature of Fibromyalgia is the existence of "tender points" that specialists use to diagnose and distinguish Fibromyalgia. The "tender points" refer to eighteen specific spots where the muscles will be abnormally tender to the touch. A person with fibromyalgia only need to have 11 positive pressure points to be positively diagnosed with fibromyalgia. These points are clustered around the neck, shoulders, chest, knees, hips and the elbow region and will include the following:
At the insertion of the second rib
In the middle of the knee joint
Around the lower vertebra of the neck
In muscles of the neck and upper back
In muscles connected to the base of the skull
In muscles of the mid-back
In the upper and outer muscles of the buttocks
On the side of the elbow
People who suffer from Fibromyalgia also suffer from various sleep disorders, all of which contribute to the extreme fatigue experienced.
A person with fibromyalgias deep sleep period is interrupted by bouts of waking-type brain activity, i.e. the person is wide awake for long periods of time and literally cannot shut off their thoughts, therefore they generally have chronic fatigue. They can't think during waking hours, they become confused easily and have word search problems.
If this is you, you need to see a doctor right away. The earlier you get a diagnosis from a reputable doctor, the sooner treatment can be started.
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