What is Fibromyalgia?
Section Graphic Fibromyalgia About Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia (pronounced fy-bro-my-AL-ja) is a common and complex chronic pain disorder that affects people physically, mentally and socially. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome rather than a disease. Unlike a disease, which is a medical condition with a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms, a syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause. Fibromyalgia, which has also been referred to as fibromyalgia syndrome, fibromyositis and fibrositis, is characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbances, fatigue and often psychological distress. For those with severe symptoms, fibromyalgia can be extremely debilitating and interfere with basic daily activities.
Fibromyalgia refers to a condition with a constellation of symptoms that include widespread aching, stiffness, fatigue, and the presence of specific body tender points. The presence of pain in fibromyalgia originates in the muscles and connective tissues of the body. Other symptoms include muscle pain, disturbed sleep, depression and fatigue.
Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes pain in your muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons. The pain occurs in areas called “tender points.” Common tender points are the front of the knees, the elbows, the hip joints and around the neck. Fibromyalgia affects up to 5% of the population, including children. This disorder might be hereditary (which means it runs in families), so you may have family members with similar symptoms. More women than men have fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia makes you feel tired and causes muscle pain and “tender points.” Tender points are places on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms or legs that hurt when touched. People with fibromyalgia may have other symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, morning stiffness, headaches, and problems with thinking and memory, sometimes called “fibro fog.” No one knows what causes fibromyalgia. Anyone can get it, but it is most common in middle-aged women. People with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases are particularly likely to develop fibromyalgia. There is no cure for fibromyalgia, but many different therapies can help you manage your symptoms. It is a good idea to try one therapy at a time to see what works best for you.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized primarily by widespread pain throughout the body. The name fibromyalgia, introduced by Muhammad Yunus MD and his colleagues in 1981, literally means pain in the muscles and tissue. “Fibro” refers to the fascia or connective tissue, “my” to muscle, and “algia” to pain. Other ailments associated with fibromyalgia include fatigue, poor quality sleep, difficulty concentrating, sensitivity to light, noise and cold, and irritable bowel. As many as 2% of the general population may suffer from this condition. No ethnic group seems any more likely to have fibromyalgia; however women develop it approximately 8 times more often than do men. While the medical community does not yet understand the pathology underlying fibromyalgia, more and more information about this condition is becoming known. Medical researchers are now actively searching for the cause, mechanisms and best treatments for fibromyalgia and related conditions. To keep abreast of sc
