Fibromyalgia Specialist

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, potentially debilitating condition that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain in the joints and muscles throughout your body. Fibromyalgia can be difficult to diagnose and treat, as its symptoms mimic other conditions. 

The pain from fibromyalgia can range from mild to severe and may even impact your ability to complete your day-to-day activities.

What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia can cause a number of uncomfortable symptoms, including:

• Chronic muscle and joint pain
• Tingling, numbness in extremities
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Dull aches
• Difficulty concentrating
• Headaches and migraines
• Irritable bowel syndrome

Many individuals with fibromyalgia also experience co-existing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

What causes fibromyalgia?

Medical experts don’t currently know the exact cause of fibromyalgia, but they believe that overstimulated nerves can disrupt the pain signals they send throughout the body. Over time, the affected nerves can become hypersensitive to pain.

Factors that increase your risk of fibromyalgia include:

• Being a woman
• Certain infections
• A family history of fibromyalgia
• Severe trauma
• Overuse injuries
• Extreme psychological stress

Certain disorders, including osteoarthritis and lupus, can also trigger fibromyalgia pain.

How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?

The primary indication of fibromyalgia is widespread muscle and joint pain that persists for at least three months. 

There are 18 points throughout the body that your doctor may press to identify your specific areas of pain. However, a tender point exam isn’t always necessary to diagnose fibromyalgia.

At Metro Anesthesia & Pain Management, your doctor may also order blood tests, including a thyroid function test, complete blood count (CBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, or a rheumatoid factor test.

A complete physical exam and medical history review are always necessary to rule out other conditions like arthritis and lupus.

What are the treatments for fibromyalgia?

Proper pain management is essential to provide lasting relief from fibromyalgia. The pain specialists at Metro Anesthesia & Pain Management use multiple modalities to relieve your fibromyalgia pain, including:

• Botox® injections
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation

To learn more about fibromyalgia, call Metro Anesthesia & Pain Management or schedule an appointment online today.