Fibromyalgia pain and fatigue are the most common and intense symptoms that occur to people who suffer from the condition. Statistics indicate that an overwhelming number of 3.7 million Americans are confronted with fibromyalgia pain and other specific symptoms. Fibromyalgia is a neurological chronic condition that causes recidivating, intense pain in the muscles and interconnected soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments. Many people disregard fibromyalgia pain and fatigue, considering that they are self-induced symptoms, the product of people’s imagination. These conceptions, however, are far from the actual truth. Medical research results reveal that although there are psychological aspects involved in the development of fibromyalgia, the condition occurs due to neurological dysfunctions, and undoubtedly, fibromyalgia pain is real!
Fibromyalgia pain is described by patients in a multitude of ways: aching, burning, sour, radiating, stabbing or pressure. Although people with the disorder perceive fibromyalgia pain in a different way, they claim to always feel a certain degree of pain and discomfort in the muscles. Fibromyalgia pain is accompanied by a sensation of fatigue, discomfort, numbness or tingling.
The cause for recidivating fibromyalgia pain is considered to be abnormal brain activity. Medical scientists sustain that the presence of certain brain dysfunctions determine a pronounced increase of nervous excitability in the entire body. Unlike healthy people, patients with fibromyalgia perceive external stimuli in a very intense way. For instance, many people who suffer from fibromyalgia develop a sensibility to light and temperature as a consequence of nervous dysfunctions. Scientific experiments have revealed the fact that in the case of people with the disorder, fibromyalgia pain is emphasized by abnormal brain activity. When exposed to a stimulus of the same intensity, people with fibromyalgia might perceive a sensation of intense pain, while the majority of healthy people have no reactions to that particular stimulus.
An interesting aspect of fibromyalgia is that all people with the disorder feel pain in the same body regions. Fibromyalgia pain is mainly located in specific spots on the body, called trigger points. There are nine pairs of trigger points on the body, and they are located in the following regions: the lower region of the skull, the back of the neck, the upper back, the mid-back, the lower back, the shoulders, the region of the buttocks, the elbows and knees and the region of the hips. The areas that surround the points where the fibromyalgia pain is perceived at maximum intensity are called tender points.
These trigger points and tender points have a major role in revealing the presence of fibromyalgia. Due to the fact that most physical examinations and routine laboratory analysis aren’t able to trace any signs of the disorder, by checking if the patient feels intense pain in these specific fibromyalgia pain regions, an appropriate diagnose can be established.
Although people with fibromyalgia mostly complain about muscular pain and a generalized state of exhaustion through the entire body, the fact is that the disorder can generate a lot more symptoms, some considered to be very serious. For instance, people that have been suffering from fibromyalgia for long periods of time may suffer from short-term memory loss, decreased ability of sustaining physical and mental effort, poor concentration, migraines, high blood pressure and accelerated heart activity.
Fibromyalgia is a serious condition and speed is vital in detecting its presence. Although at the time being there is no specific cure for fibromyalgia, most symptoms can be overcome and the patients’ general health condition can be substantially improved by following certain therapies and treatments. Fibromyalgia pain, fatigue, cognitive dysfunctions and poor mental abilities can be corrected through the means of an appropriate treatment, a good therapeutic program, healthy lifestyle and diet.
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