Fibromyalgia - Pain That Does Not Go Away

Widespread pain throughout the body for more than three months

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a recognized clinical condition characterized by pain and tender points chronic musculoskeletal several sites. The main condition cause of disability and is often reported that 2% of the population in the United States and Canada. NHS Direct affecting 4% of the population in the UK and 14 700 new cases each year occur States.

The American College of Rheumatology has identified eighteen (tender points) test sites, 11 of which must be painful to digital palpation with a pressure of 4 kg to give a positive diagnosis of fibromyalgia. In addition, pain must have been present for at least three months.

Because no target marker (such as X-ray tests, blood tests and muscle biopsy) has not yet been discovered for fibromyalgia, diagnosis is based on only the above symptoms. It therefore appears that the widespread musculoskeletal pain experienced in places is the predominant characteristic of fibromyalgia.

Hotspots below are the backbone of fibromyalgia:

Occiput: bilateral, at the insertion of the suboccipital muscle
Lower cervical: bilateral, previous aspects of intertransversarii spaces C5-C7
Trapezoid: bilateral, at the midpoint of the upper edge
Supraspinatus: bilateral, at the midpoint of the upper edge
Second rib: bilateral, second costochondral junctions, just lateral to the junctions on the upper surfaces
Epicondyle: bilateral, distal two centimeters epicondyles
Gluteal: bilateral, in upper outer quadrants of buttocks in anterior fold of muscle
Trochanter: bilateral, posterior to the importance of the trochanter
Knee bilateral internal fat pad near the parting line
In addition to chronic musculoskeletal pain, patients also experience

Stiffness
'Hurt all "(note: this term is used by Yunus and Inanici)
Feeling soft tissue swelling
No musculoskeletal symptoms

Fatigue more day
Lack of sleep
Paresthesia (tingling)
Fibromyalgia is still a mystery to rheumatology. Although "hurt", no progressive degeneration, damage or inflammation.

Women are more affected

It seems that nine out of ten people who suffer from fibromyalgia are women. In addition, the Fibromyalgia is more common in the age group of 40-60, but can occur at any age.

History

Historical writings indicate that what is now called fibromyalgia has been known for centuries by humans. Guillaume de Baillou (1538-1616) brings together what is known today as fibromyalgia with other "syndromes myofascial trigger points" under the name of muscular rheumatism. The English neurologist Sir William R. Gowers coined the term fibrositis in 1904 to encapsulate the symptoms of fibromyalgia. It was thought at the time where the pain is caused by inflammation of the fibrous tissue.

Smythe and Modofsky FMS drew attention in 1977, but they called fibrositis syndrome. The term fibrositis involving inflammation (ITIS) of (fibro) fibrous tissue was abandoned in 1981 and re-appointed fibromyalgia. This is the official name of the disease in the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO, 2006).

Martinez-Lavin suggests that the disease that struck the life of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is likely to have been post-traumatic fibromyalgia.

Treatment with Western medicine

Goldenberg FMS refers to as "a pain that does not go away" and the prognosis does not seem optimistic. Wallace indicated that only 2% of patients are cured after treatment. Because the cause is unknown, treatment focuses on the symptoms.

Kumar and Clark implies that the use of low doses of sedatives or antidepressants such as amitriptyline dosulepin increase serotonin levels can be useful. Research suggests that fluoxetine (Prozac), an antidepressant, is effective in controlling the symptoms of fibromyalgia. It has been observed that most patients with fibromyalgia also suffer from restless sleep and feel tired even after a long night of sleep.

Goldenberg suggests that tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline are effective in helping people who suffer from fibromyalgia, to help restore the stage 4 sleep (deep sleep without dreams). This is confirmed by the reports Ozerbil can also help patients with fibromyalgia. However, the side effects of amitriptyline include weight gain, which may be undesirable.

Clark says that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are also used by 91% of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome, but does not work. NHS Direct in the UK also disapproves of the use of NSAIDs in the treatment of fibromyalgia, but evidence of inflammation. Clark concludes that medicines for fibromyalgia are often ineffective, because most of them do not offer more benefits than a placebo after six months.

Other treatments

The American Board of Rheumatology suggests that therapeutic massage and myofascial may be useful for patients with fibromyalgia syndrome, while recognizing that these treatments have not been well tested. Acupuncture is offered by NHS Direct in the UK, with massages, aromatherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, the terms used by patients to relieve fatigue and pain resulting from FMS.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is common in patients with fibromyalgia, as there is no cure available. It seems that over 90% of fibromyalgia patients have tried complementary techniques such techniques food and herbal supplements. The effectiveness of the "Rhus Tox", a homeopathic remedy in controlling some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia is determined by Bell et al. (2004).

These proposed alternative and complementary therapies for the treatment of fibromyalgia, acupuncture is the next topic to explore and question will be, acupuncture can help in the treatment of fibromyalgia.