What Is Fibromyalgia?

Read about Fibromyalgia Syndrome presented in simple easy to understand language

Fibromyalgia is defined as "fibro" meaning fibrous tissues (such as tendons and ligaments), "my" meaning muscles, and "algia" meaning pain. It is a disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue (feeling tired). People suffering who are from this disorder have "tender points" on the body. Tender points are the specific places in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs. These points hurt when pressure is put on them. Fibromyalgia is a arthritis-related condition that is characterized by muscular pain and fatigue.

Arthritis-related condition causes pain or swelling in the joints. But Fibromyalgia produces a sort of pain in soft tissues located around joints and in skin and organs throughout the body. Fibromyalgia are having a very few symptoms that are outwardly visible, so, it has been nicknamed as "the invisible disability" or the "irritable everything" syndrome.

Fibromyalgia is referred as a syndrome rather than a disease. Disease is a medical condition with a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms, where as syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause.

The pain of fibromyalgia is described as a diffuse aching and is often accompanied by muscle spasm. Pain may vary in severity from day to day and change location, becoming more severe in parts of the body that are used the most (i.e., neck, shoulders, and feet). In some people, it can be so intense that it interferes with the performance of even simple tasks, while in others it may cause only moderate discomfort. Likewise, the fatigue of fibromyalgia also varies from person to person ranging from a mild, tired feeling to the exhaustion of a flu-like illness. it is not physically crippling nor does it interfere with a person's expected life span.

In addition to pain and fatigue, people who have Fibromyalgia will experience the following symptoms
• sleep disturbances
• morning stiffness
• headaches
• irritable bowel syndrome
• painful menstrual periods
• numbness or tingling of the extremities
• restless legs syndrome
• temperature sensitivity
• cognitive and memory problems (sometimes referred to as "fibro fog")
• a variety of other symptoms