fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) has been around for a long time, although it has not been recognized as a biological syndrome with physical symptoms to be treated until fairly recently.  There were and still are myths floating around about the syndrome that are simply untrue.

Until these myths are dispelled, individuals with the syndrome will continue to be misdiagnosed and subjected to treatments that do not help, increasing their frustration and distress.

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Psycho Syndrome?

For a long time, Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) was considered to be a psychosomatic illness.  When individuals went to their doctors for help with the symptoms they were experiencing, they were sent to a psychologist to solve the issue.  Although there are psychological symptoms related to Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), such as depression, anxiety and sleeping disorders, these to not address the entirety of the issues caused by the syndrome.

Another misconception was that women were the only ones who had the symptoms.  Since that was the case, linked with the belief that the syndrome was psychosomatic, it led to calling the syndrome ‘hysteria’ or a ‘woman’s disease.’  Doctors and scientists did the community as a whole a disservice by lumping the syndrome into the psychosomatic category without further research since the syndrome is not just found in women, but in men and children as well.

One benefit of this incorrect diagnosis was that behavioral therapy was used to help with the symptoms, which is still found to be useful in patients today.  By addressing stress and modifying beliefs about stressful situations, the patient is better able to relax, sleep, and gives his body time to mend.

Rare, Damaging, and Fatal?

Although Fibromyalgia Pain Syndrome is damaging on an emotional and physical level as far as what the patient has to deal with on a day to day basis, Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is not progressively damaging to the body.  In other words, it does not harm other organs, nor does it progressively tear down the muscle tissue.  The pain of Fibromyalgia can get worse over time, but on a biological level, it does not tear down the body’s systems nor is it fatal.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) was also thought to be a rare syndrome, but is found in about six percent of the population today, meaning millions of Americans are affected by it.  As mentioned, it was though to only be found in women, but it is now known that men, women, children and the elderly are all susceptible to the syndrome.

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fibromyalgia is a vicious syndrome that affects about six percent of the population.  The pain caused by the disease can sometimes develop into an additional syndrome called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome fibromyalgia.  In fact, twenty to thirty percent of fibromyalgia patients also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia.

If a patient does not have Fibromyalgia, it is difficult to differentiate between Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia since about seventy-five percent of the symptoms are the same.  The main difference between the two is that patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia suffer from intense fatigue that has lasted for six months or longer.

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Scientists are uncertain what causes the syndrome.  They have theorized that it may be caused by an immune dysfunction but have not found a definitive answer as of yet.  The best they can do for this incurable syndrome is to treat the multiple symptoms that the patient has.

Symptoms and Treatment

As stated above, fatigue is the main symptom of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia.  This fatigue causes the patient to lack the energy to perform basic day to day activities.  They may also have muscle and joint pain which serves to exacerbate the problem since pain further wears down the patient’s physical and emotional energy.

One of the better treatments for this fatigue is moderate exercise, since the endorphins produced by the body through exercise causes the feeling of well-being and energy.  The problem with this treatment is that the pain that also tends to accompany this syndrome is at times too severe to allow the patient to participate in even the mildest of activity.  In addition, the fatigued feelings cause an emotional crippling so that the patient may be unwilling to muster up the energy to exercise.

Other symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia are cognitive dysfunction, such as memory loss, as well as depression, sleep disorders, headaches and dizziness.  Patients can also experience irritable bowels, headaches and sore throat or lymph node pain.  Many of these symptoms are the same as experienced by Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) patients, which is what makes the two syndromes difficult to tell apart.

The treatments offered for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia are also similar to FMS, such as the use of pain killers, anti-depressant medication, sleeping pills, acupuncture, and massage.  Unfortunately, at this point, there is no cure for this syndrome.  The most that doctors can do is to treat the symptoms, allowing the individual to cope with the syndrome, and enjoy and function in life as fully as possible.

As insidious as fibromyalgia Syndrome is, it can be compounded by an additional syndrome that tends to follow on its heels called fibromyalgia Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

Thirty percent of patients who have fibromyalgia also have this syndrome.  Many people without Fibromyalgia also get Fibromyalgia Myofascial Pain Syndrome at least once in their lives, but only about fourteen percent of individuals have it at a chronic level.

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Fascia is the web surrounding bones, tissues, organs and blood vessels, and is what is affected with this syndrome.  These tissues degenerate, which cause trigger points, especially around the areas where the fascia and muscle connect.  The most painful areas with Fibromyalgia Myofascial Pain Syndrome are in the face and jaw.

Causes

Like Fibromyalgia, Fibromyalgia Myofascial Pain Syndrome is mysterious in origin.  There are many theories about it, some of which are similar to Fibromyalgia in general.  One similar symptom is that it is stress related.  When a person is in a stressful situation on a constant basis it leads to tight muscles and a reduced ability to repair those muscles.

Another similar cause is depression, which causes a decrease in serotonin, which affects muscle relaxation and repair.  When an individual has been depressed for a longer period of time, the body is less able to produce serotonin and tissue repair is hindered.

One theory that is different than Fibromyalgia is that Fibromyalgia Myofascial Pain Syndrome is caused by extreme weather conditions.  When a person is subjected to extreme heat or cold it affects that way the body repairs itself, which is thought to lead to the painful syndrome.

Symptoms

Fibromyalgia Myofascial Pain Syndrome has some specific symptoms that are different from Fibromyalgia Syndrome symptoms which require additional treatment.  Beyond the widespread pain, which is more focused in the face and jaw area, as well as trigger points where the fascia and muscle connect, there can also be numbness, twitching and popping or clicking in muscles that affect everyday functioning.  There may also be muscle weakness and limited movement which can hinder activity, as well as vision impairment, nausea, ear pain and dizziness.

Each of these symptoms requires its own specialized treatment in order to allow the individual to function and enjoy life.  Moderate exercise is found to help some of the symptoms as it releases endorphins and increases serotonin levels which numb pain and increase the body’s capacity for tissue repair.  Pain is the most debilitating symptom of Fibromyalgia Myofascial Pain Syndrome and as such, is the most commonly focused on in treatment.

Treatment for fibromyalgia varies from person to person who has the syndrome.  The reason for this variability is because there are such diverse symptoms that go with the syndrome, plus there are a diverse group of people that have fibromyalgia – young and old, male and female, and all races.

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Pain Treatments

Drug therapies are the most common Fibromyalgia Syndrome treatment for pain.  Because Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain in the patient, from mild to severe, pain is the most pressing issue to solve in order to allow the patient to live a vibrant and fully functional lifestyle.

For mild pain relief, over the counter medications are used such as aspirin or ibuprofen.  For more severe cases there are several drug therapies available.  Brain mapping is a technique to help pinpoint the pain problem areas so that drugs can be targeted to the specific parts of the body that need it most.  Once those areas are identified, the type of drug therapy needed can be decided upon and introduced in the Fibromyalgia Syndrome treatment.

Trigger point injections are used to inject anesthetics into the most painful areas of the patient’s body.  Since Fibromyalgia patients have to have at least eleven trigger points in order to be diagnosed with the syndrome, there are multiple points for these injections.

Psycho Therapy and Sleep Therapy

Psycho therapy and sleep therapy are also common Fibromyalgia Syndrome treatments that serve to relieve pain.  In psycho therapy, patients undergo a series of sessions with a trained psychologist, working to change their beliefs and lower their stress levels.

Since scientists believe that one possible cause of Fibromyalgia is stress, if the way a patient handles stress can be changed by him a different belief system and tools for handling stress, the symptoms of the syndrome can be relieved.  Depression is also an underlying cause of the syndrome which psycho therapy and drug treatments help to relieve.

Sleep therapy can also coincide with psycho therapy, since a lesser anxiety level tends to produce better sleep patterns.  Sleep therapy also often involves drug therapy through sleeping pills to allow patients to get the deep sleep that they have been missing, thus allowing the body to do muscle repair, another underlying cause of Fibromyalgia.

Alternative Therapies

Fibromyalgia Syndrome treatments can also sway toward alternative therapies when the traditional methods have failed, or when a patient is reluctant to use prescription medication.  Chiropractors help to relieve compressed meninges, which are the coverings of the upper spine.  By doing minor adjustments, the pressure and the pain are relieved, at least for a period of time.

Other alternative therapies include acupressure, hypnosis, relaxation techniques, oxygen therapy and even marijuana to reduce the pain.  Fibromyalgia Syndrome treatments do not cure the syndrome, but they do help to relieve the pain and allow the individual to more fully participate in and enjoy in most cases.  However, there are some Fibromyalgia patients who not only suffer from this syndrome, but also contract another one called Fibromyalgia Myofascial Pain Syndrome.

This syndrome is similar to Fibromyalgia in the widespread pain it produces, but tends to be more targeted to the face and jaw area in most patients, and has additional symptoms that vary from Fibromyalgia.

Even though fibromyalgia Syndrome affects nearly six million Americans, it is a syndrome that is difficult to diagnose and is misunderstood.  The most common symptoms are chronic pain and fatigue which, depending on the severity of the syndrome, can be debilitating and always affects quality of life.  It can strike both women and men of any age, although it is more commonly found in women between twenty and forty years of age.

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Fibromyalgia is a syndrome and not a disease, so it is something that develops rather than having a root genetic cause.  In the past, doctors were more likely to pass off the syndrome as hypochondria in the women who were affected.  Today Fibromyalgia still tends to be mis-diagnosed due to the varied symptoms that mimic other syndromes and diseases.  In addition, since every gender, race and age is affected by the syndrome, it is difficult to pinpoint the root cause behind Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

Possible causes

Doctors and researchers are still uncertain of the causes of Fibromyalgia Syndrome although theories and speculation abound.  Fibromyalgia has been found to be more common in families, so a genetic link is probable.  Beyond that, there does not seem to be one common contributing factor.

One theory is that a pre-existing sleep disorder develops into the syndrome.  The reason behind this is that, without uninterrupted deep sleep, the body is unable to repair muscles properly, and thus results in chronic muscle pain.  Chronic stress and anxiety also lead to increased muscle tension and sleep deprivation, which can develop into the syndrome.

Another theory is that infections or immune system deficiencies are the root cause of Fibromyalgia Syndrome.  Both of these factors contribute to faulty muscle repair and surrounding tissue, such as ligaments and tendons, resulting in chronic pain.  Finally, injury, such as from a car accident, can also develop into Fibromyalgia, although this too is only a theory.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Researchers have taken biopsies of Fibromyalgia patients to see if that would yield any additional information to the causes or diagnosis of the syndrome.  Unfortunately the results offered little to no information, thus ruling out biopsies as a method of diagnosis.

There is a check list that doctors use in order to diagnose Fibromyalgia Syndrome which includes eighteen tender points and chronic pain in four quadrants of the body.  There are also multiple symptoms connected to Fibromyalgia which are also check points for doctors making the diagnosis.  Because of this multiplicity of symptoms, which vary in case to case, there is not one Fibromyalgia Syndrome treatment that works for all Fibromyalgia sufferers, leading to a plethora of treatments, from drug therapy to self help.