EST 2012
The Southern Highlands Fibromyalgia Support Group
FACT SHEET
What is fibromyalgia
-Fibromyalgia is a syndrome which caused widespread chronic pain throughout the body including tenderness in joints, muscles and soft tissues. Other symptoms include sleep problems leading to chronic fatigue, hypothyroidism, depression, anxiety and headaches.
What are the symptoms?
-The most prominent symptom of Fibromyalgia is pain (mild to sever) and tends to radiate from the joints. The pain may feel like a shooting pain or a dull persistent ache.
-Patients tend to suffer from joint stiffness and body aches when they first wake up, for some the pain and mobility improves throughout the day though some sufferers have constant pain.
-Other symptoms include, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), concentration and memory problems, heart palpitations, tension headaches, migraines and poor stamina when exercising.
Who can suffer from fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia can strike anyone of any age, from young children to the elderly. The most common sufferers are females between the ages of 20 and 50 years old. There appears to be a pattern among families in particular women who have a family member with fibromyalgia is more likely to develop the syndrome themselves though it remains unproven whether the syndrome is hereditary or caused by environmental factors. The cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown.
Prognosis
Fibromyalgia is a long term syndrome. In some patients symptoms do improve after seeking treatment though others find that the pain and debilitation persists or worsens as time goes on which can lead to a sufferer having to cease work though if legally work disabled in most cases a government disability pension or government benefits are available.
What are the available treatments?
-As there is no known cure for fibromyalgia the best treatment is to relieve the pain and other symptoms such as sleep difficulties and depression.
-For joint stiffness and muscle pain physical therapy is often prescribed along with a fitness regimen, light massage and relaxation techniques.
-Cognitive beahvioural therapy is a key part to treatment for fibromyalgia in order to help sufferers deal with negative thoughts and fears, maintain a health diary of their pain and symptoms to discover what makes your pain worse and what helps improve symptoms and to set your own limits.
-Sufferers are recommended to maintain a healthy, well balanced diet, to avoid caffeine and alcohol, seek acumpuncture treatment, have regular massages to release muscle tension and join a local support group.
FACT SHEET