What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition of widespread pain and profound fatigue. The pain tends to be felt as diffused aching or burning, often

described as head to toe. It may be worse at some times than at others. It may also change location, usually becoming more severe in parts of the body that are used most.

The fatigue ranges from feeling tired, to the exhaustion of a flu-like illness. It may come and go and people can suddenly feel drained of all energy – as if someone just “pulled the plug”.

Fibromyalgia is a common illness. In fact, it is more common than rheumatoid arthritis and can even be

more painful. Prevalence of Fibromyalgia: A Survey in Five European Countries (see www.fmauk.org/prevalence for details) put the prevalence of FM at between 2.9% and 4.7%. People with mild to moderate cases of fibromyalgia are usually able to live a normal life, given the appropriate treatment. If symptoms are severe, however, people may not be able to hold down a paying job or enjoy much of a social life.

The name fibromyalgia is made up from the word “fibro” which represents fibrous tissues such as tendons and ligaments; “my” indicating muscles; and “algia” meaning pain.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia vary from person to person but it is mainly characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain which is often

accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Symptoms can come and go, and build up slowly over time, but they often begin following a major event, such as an infection, physical trauma or injury, surgery or stress.

More symptoms include:

- Widespread pain & chronic muscle pain, spasms or tightness

- Moderate - servere fatigue

- Cognitive difficulties

-Reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise

- Insomnia, trouble sleeping, and unrefreshing sleep

- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

- Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks (“fibro fog”)

- Tension or migraine headaches

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There is currently no cure for Fibromyalgia, however, there are ways to treat symptoms and help to improve overall quality of life.

This includes reducing pain and improving sleep. There is no 'one size fits all' approach to treatment, it depends on an individuals symptoms and needs which a GP will usually aim to treat separately.

Learning to manage the condition seems, so far, to be the most successful way of dealing with fibromyalgia, which often involves a combination of heat, rest, exercise and reducing stress to enable some people with fibromyalgia to maintain a productive life.

found in spinal fluid and which transmits pain signals.

There are a few different approaches to pain management and sleep disturbances; often a combination of these different treatments works well to offer the best quality of life to a patient. These include: exercise, talking therapies and medicine, as well as self-help remedies such as, relaxation and mindfulness.

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