Fibromyalgia: Diagnosis, causes and treatments
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Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that is believed to affect the nervous system, according to the NHS. It’s associated with long-term pain which can spread all the way through the body. But how can you tell if your pain is caused by fibromyalgia?
The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it could be due to changes in the way the nervous system processes pain messages around the body.
Anyone can develop the condition, but women are about seven times more likely to have it.
The most common fibromyalgia symptom is widespread pain across the entire body.
But the pain itself isn’t very distinctive, and could be easily confused for something less serious.
What does fibromyalgia pain feel like?
Most fibre patients report an overwhelming aching sensation all over their body, according to medical website WebMD.
The pain might feel like:
- A deep pain
- A sharp pain
- A dull pain
- A throbbing pain
- An aching pain
It can be felt in the muscles, tendons and ligaments in particular.
“It can feel similar to osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis, but it’s over your entire body,” said WebMD.
“For some people, the pain comes and goes. It could travel throughout your body.
“You may also have tender points – specific spots around your joints that hurt when you press them with a finger.
“If you press a tender point on a person without fibromyalgia, they’ll just feel pressure. But that same pressure would be very painful for someone with fibro.”
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If you’re worried that you might have fibromyalgia, you should consider speaking to a doctor.
But diagnosing the condition is really difficult, because there’s no specific test for it.
Your doctor will ask you a series of questions about your symptoms to try and diagnose fibro.
The GP might also examine your body for physical signs of other conditions – e.g. inflammation is more likely to be caused by arthritis than fibromyalgia.
Meanwhile, other symptoms of fibromyalgia include stiffness, fatigue, and ‘fibro-fog’.
Fibro-fog is the name given to cognitive problems, linked to the condition.
Patients may struggle to learn new things, or have problems with attention or concentration.
While there’s no cure for the condition, some treatments could help to relieve some of the fibromyalgia pain.
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