Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition with symptoms such as widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and morning stiffness. There are no simple solutions for managing the disease, which is why it can be so difficult to diagnose. Fibromyalgia causes many distressful symptoms that can ruin someone’s life, but there are ways of reducing the symptoms on a daily basis. In this blog article, you will find out about Fibromyalgia symptoms and treatment in detail.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that causes widespread pain. The muscle tissues throughout the body are more sensitive, which can cause a “pins and needles” numbness in the limbs. Fibromyalgia is attributed to some of the inflammation associated with many diseases and conditions. This pain is often worse at night and during the early morning. The condition may start in one or both of the thighs, hips, and buttocks. Fibromyalgia symptoms usually begin gradually, but can surprise you with a sharp increase in pain. Fibromyalgia affects approximately 2 million Americans or 1 in every 30 people.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
The causes of fibromyalgia are still not known. However, it is likely that the cause of fibromyalgia is multifactorial. The causes may include immune system abnormalities as well as abnormal brain activity (neurological and neuroimmunological). A specific link with a particular infection has not been established, however these infections are thought to trigger pain in some people with fibromyalgia symptoms. Most patients of fibromyalgia do not have an obvious illness that could produce similar symptoms. Even when an illness has been ruled out, many patients had no clear cause for their symptoms. In summary, there is a lack of evidence to support or refute the cause or causes of fibromyalgia. There are many mechanisms suggested for the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia and many factors that have been proposed to contribute to the chronic pain syndrome. Fibromyalgia may result from changes in brain function as well as changes in peripheral nociceptive processing.
For example, some studies suggest that fatigue can lead to muscle spasm which could result in pain . It is suggested that chronic pain may be caused by multiple factors, including the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Some studies have found that alterations in chemicals in the CNS can alter sensory processing in the PNS, which leads to pain. Finally, it is believed that fibromyalgia is associated with a genetic predisposition in many cases. Reviews of different research studies will help us determine what we know about fibromyalgia.
In this experiment , the goal is to answer whether or not prolonged exposure of the skin to cold is harmful. The experiment will be conducted by exposing subjects with fibromyalgia to cold water in a swimming pool. Each subject is connected by a sensor to the computer system which records their heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. Two sets of subjects will be tested; one set of subjects will get into the pool as soon as they are finished placing their sensors on them (the “test” group); while the second set of subjects will wait until they are in the pool with their sensors connected to the computer before they get into the pool (the “control” group). The test and control groups will be tested for a total of twenty-four hours.
After each subject is tested for two hours, their heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension measurements are taken again. At the end of each day’s testing, the experimenter removes all of the exposed sensor cables from the subjects.
Step 1: Each subject will attend a two-hour training session. At the end of this session the subject will be allowed to go into another room and put sensors on the first set of subjects.
Step 2: Each subject will then go see the third set of subjects in the pool. It is important that each subject goes to different people, because if they see or hear other members of their own group, they will not be able to remain completely objective.
Step 3: After observing all three sets of subjects, each subject will return to the two-hour training session. During this session, each subject will learn a new task and then perform the task while in a magnetic field. This will be the fourth step in the experiment.
Step 4: On day five of testing all subjects will be placed under an alternating magnetic field for one hour. The alternating magnetic field is generated by placing electromagnets above and below a coil that is placed on top of each subject’s head. The strength of the alternating magnetic field depends on the strength of the electromagnets. For example, if the electromagnets are created by a computer and set to 25 gauss, then this creates an alternating magnetic field that is 25 times stronger than a Gauss field. The alternating magnetic field will be alternated with periods of no magnetic field.
Step 5: On day six all subjects will return to the laboratory and perform tasks while under an alternating magnetic field.
Step 6: Finally, on days seven to ten all subjects will perform tasks under an alternating magnetic field at the same strength as on day six (25 gauss).
Alternative Treatment Methods
People with fibromyalgia can experience many symptoms like chronic pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and headaches. These symptoms can lead to a decreased quality of life that is hard to recover from. Along with these symptoms are cognitive impairment and depression. While there are treatments available for the fibromyalgia patients such as therapy, meditation techniques, and lifestyle changes, occasionally medical interventions such as surgery or pharmacological treatments may be needed.
Durga Awasthi 
Sonal Mitra 
Health News