What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia?

Posted by Master, Doctor Mai Vien Phuong - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital

About 4 million Americans age 18 and older, about 2% of the population, have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Most cases of fibromyalgia are diagnosed in women, but men and children can also be affected.

1. Is fibromyalgia common? Fibromyalgia is a chronic (long-term) pain condition that is usually diagnosed in middle age.
Fibromyalgia currently has no definitive cure. Treatments mainly focus on medication and lifestyle changes to help relieve symptoms.

2. Fibromyalgia Symptoms It's not easy to spot fibromyalgia. This is a disease with no obvious symptoms. Most symptoms of fibromyalgia — including pain, muscle tension, and fatigue — are barely noticeable.
It can be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis and find treatment because the symptoms of fibromyalgia are similar to those of other diseases. Although fibromyalgia is not fatal, it can have serious lifelong effects.
Here are some telltale symptoms of fibromyalgia:

Pain Trigger Points
“Pain trigger points” on the body are a telltale sign of fibromyalgia. When you press on these pimples, they feel painful. Weaknesses may be in the back of the head, elbows, shoulders, knees, and hips. There are 18 pain trigger points. You may experience discomfort in some or all of these positions. Doctors use pain trigger points to help diagnose fibromyalgia.

Pain
Pain is another ongoing phenomenon in fibromyalgia. The pain feels as if it is starting in the muscles, but there is no sign of tissue damage. People with fibromyalgia may be more sensitive than usual to painful stimuli or sensations. The discomfort is often felt throughout the body and can be made worse by many factors, including lack of sleep and stress.

Drowsiness
When in pain, you will have difficulty falling asleep and may toss and turn all night. People with multiple sclerosis are more likely to experience sleep-disrupting conditions such as sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome.

Restless legs
Many people with fibromyalgia complain of a crawling, crawling sensation in their legs at night. Feeling so uncomfortable that it makes you want to move, bringing you out of deep sleep. As a result, sleep deprivation can have a real impact on your ability to function the next day.

Headaches
According to the Fibromyalgia Association of America, between 50 and 70% of people with fibromyalgia experience headaches. Migraine headaches are the most common type of headache in people with fibromyalgia. During a migraine, your head throbs, and you may feel sick to your stomach and hangover. Some people are so sensitive to light and sound during a migraine that they have to turn off all the lights and lie in a dark room until the headache goes away.

Jaw pain
Some people with fibromyalgia also have a condition called temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ). TMJ causes jaw pain. If you have this condition, you will notice that your jaw makes a clicking or popping sound when you open and close your mouth. Sometimes TMJ also causes headaches and pain around the ears.

Fibro fog – brain fog syndrome
Do you ever feel as if you can't stay awake? Confusion, difficulty concentrating, and trouble remembering are all signs of "fibro fog," named for the feeling of fog that people with fibromyalgia sometimes experience. The cause of fibro fog is not clear, but it may be related to the effects of pain on the brain or lack of oxygen to the brain's tissues.

Colic
When you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), knowing the location of the nearest bathroom becomes a serious concern. IBS affects the large intestine and can suddenly cause:
Pain Bloating Abdominal bloating Diarrhea This condition is more common in people with fibromyalgia and it can seriously affect daily life your day if you don't get treatment.

Sensitive
When you have fibromyalgia, the world is a noisy, bright, and painful place. Fibromyalgia makes you more sensitive to sound, light, and touch.
Fibromyalgia can progress to chronic without timely intervention, but the disease can also be relieved well if the patient reduces stress and follows the doctor's instructions. Have faith that you can cure it with a combination of therapies, especially natural remedies for fibromyalgia.
Vinmec International General Hospital is always ready to receive and treat diseases from simple to complex. With a team of qualified doctors and modern medical equipment, the examination and treatment process takes place well and achieves the highest results.
Currently, in addition to developing package examination services, such as general health checkup packages, the institute also has individual services suitable for each customer's case. Therefore, when you have any health problems, you can go to Vinmec hospital for examination and appropriate advice from a team of leading doctors and experts from many major hospitals across the country.

References:
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) fact sheet. (n.d.). Retrieved from womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/irritable-bowel-syndrome.cfm Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015, October 1). Fibromyalgia: Symptoms mayoclinic.com/health/fibromyalgia/DS00079/DSECTION=symptoms