Fibromyalgia is a prolonged pain condition that affects the muscles and the areas around your joints, causing pain. Fibromyalgia comes with constant pain in certain parts of the body, like the neck, shoulders, back, and hips etc.
This condition affects about 5% of the global population. Nevertheless, this condition doesn’t only cause pain in certain spots of the body. Fibromyalgia even makes it hard to concentrate or remember things, people often call this “fibro fog”. In this article we’re going to discuss the causes and symptoms of fibromyalgia.
How Distinct Is Fibromyalgia From Other Chronic Pain Conditions?
Fibromyalgia is not the only chronic pain illness, others include arthritis and lupus etc. Fibromyalgia is different because, with it, there’s no swelling or physical damage to your joints or muscles, unlike the other pain conditions.
The pain you feel isn’t from something like joint inflammation, but rather from how your brain is processing pain signals. Arthritis might cause pain because your joints are inflamed or damaged. This, on the other hand, is more about your brain being super sensitive to pain, even though your body isn’t physically damaged.
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
- Body pain
- Always feeling tired
- Having trouble sleeping
- Finding it hard to think clearly or remember things
- Feeling sad or worried a lot
Causes of Fibromyalgia
Firstly, what you should know about fibromyalgia is that it doesn’t have a single cause. It is more of a mix of different factors that come together to create this condition.
Genetics: Genes have a thing or two to do with whether or not a person develops fibromyalgia. For example, if someone in your family has or has had this condition, you might be more likely to get it too.
Environment: There are certain things in your environment that can lead to this condition. It could be anything like a big stressful event, an illness associated with joint pain, or even an injury. These events may trigger fibromyalgia or even make it worse.
Immune system dysfunction: The immune system is there to protect the body from infections and diseases. But in the case of fibromyalgia, the immune system may overreact or not function properly. Due to the fluctuation, the body becomes sensitive to pain or responds to stress poorly.
Note: It is possible to manage the triggers. All you need to do is figure out what makes your symptoms worse, avoid them or keep them to a minimum.
Bottom Line
Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes widespread muscle and joint pain, commonly affecting areas like the neck, shoulders, back, hips, and knees. When you have this, you’d often feel tired, or find it hard to remember things or focus.
However, this condition is not like other prolonged pain conditions like arthritis or lupus. It doesn’t swell or damage your joints or muscles, instead, it affects how your brain processes pain signals.
