Understanding Fibromyalgia Pain

Answer 1

Pain, regardless of the underlying cause, is an uncomfortable feeling that occurs in the body to warn you that something is wrong. It is the body's way to tell the brain that there is a problem and it needs to be addressed. If pain persists for long periods of time it can be comparable to an actual disease on its own.

Pain that is related to fibromyalgia can cause you to ache all over. The muscles become sore and certain points on the body may be more sensitive than others. Muscles can twitch or it's possible to experience pains in the shoulders, back, neck or hips that burns or feels similar to stabbing.

There are two different types of pain. Acute pain is typically severe and comes out of nowhere. In the majority of cases acute pain will fade after about two weeks. Chronic pain lasts significantly longer than acute pain and lasts longer than expected with a specific injury or condition. Reasons for chronic pain can include impaired physical or mental performance, mood disorders, muscle pain or abnormal hormone levels. It can also spread to other parts of the body that do not have reasons to hurt.

Tender points are areas that are tender when pressed on. They are not too deep in the skin and a doctor requires a patient to have at least 11 of the 18 possible tender points on the body to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

Pain associated with fibromyalgia significantly impacts qualify of life. It includes painful tender points, pain in the neck, headaches and aching joints. Constantly dealing with pain can make it difficult to get rest and cause irritability, which effects family and friends that have contact with the individual suffering from fibromyalgia on a regular basis.

Relief from the pain associated with fibromyalgia should be discussed with your physician. A combination of drugs, alternate therapies and mind or body remedies can help to keep the pain under control.