Ridge Hillhouse
Professor Knight
ENG 111 – E
26 March 2013
Fibromyalgia: How It Changes Lives A disease that surfaced during the 1980’s was soon called Fibromyalgia. Doctors had no knowledge of how to treat the disease fully, just small procedures that might or might not help patients. “Fibromyalgia is a widespread musculoskeletal pain that is usually brought on by trauma or psychological stress,” according to the Mayo Clinic, which is an informational online forum for people with diseases. There are currently around six million Americans who are suffering from this disease. The cause, symptoms, treatments, and lifestyle changes of Fibromyalgia are very beneficial pieces of information to people that have and are trying to conquer the disease. Many doctors around the country are reporting that Fibromyalgia is caused by trauma or psychological stress. Other factors could be infections and genetics and also where people live. Melissa Conrad Stoppler who is a writer for Medicine Net, an online medical information page, describes a few countries affected by Fibromyalgia. “In Sweden and Britain, 1% of the population is affected by fibromyalgia. In the United States, approximately 4% of the population has fibromyalgia.” Women are much more susceptible to the disease rather than men. About 80% of people with the disease are women. The ages most likely affected by Fibromyalgia are people between 35-55 but there are some cases where people have been diagnosed sooner or later than those ages. (Mayo Clinic). Although most people diagnosed with this disease are older, teens have been reporting constant tiredness, trouble sleeping, and pain. The symptoms could be a start to a number of illnesses so the complaints are generally overlooked. Fibromyalgia can be very hard to spot in children because there are no real tests with definite answers and the fact that it is highly unlikely children have it. WebMD, which is an online medical site, informs, “Child and teen fibromyalgia occurs more often in girls than in boys. Most girls with the condition are diagnosed between ages 13 and 15.” Current thinking orbits around a theory called Central Sensitization. “This theory states that people with fibromyalgia have a lower threshold for pain because of increased sensitivity in the brain to pain signals,” the Mayo Clinic informs. In simpler terms, people with fibromyalgia have very little pain tolerance and their brains pickup pain signals very easily. Repetitive nerve stimulation causes an increase of neurotransmitters in the brain. This causes the brain to overreact to pain signals. Even the slightest of form of pain such as a pinch can become unbearable. The most common symptom is chronic widespread pain throughout the body. This means that there is pain in a variety of places at the same time. (Stoppler). Tender areas where pain most likely occurs are the front of the neck, on top of the shoulders, between shoulder blades, outer part of the elbows, and the inner part of knees. These painful areas cause even the simplest of tasks to be difficult. To find Fibromyalgia in patients, “Doctor’s will take his or her thumb and press down on 18 areas that tend to be painful with people that have Fibromyalgia,” according to WebMD. The pain is usually brought out by cold weather and heavy activity. Stoppler reports “Low-impact aerobic exercises, such as swimming, cycling, walking, and stationary cross-country ski machines, can be effective fibromyalgia treatments.”
Patients with Fibromyalgia tend to be in more pain during the morning than any other part of the day. According to Simon Harvey and David Zieve of The New York Times Health Guide, “Patients who try difficult exercises too early actually experience an increase in pain, and are likely to become discouraged and quit.” Patients can also experience pain by doing too much or too little activity. Carol Eustice who is a writer for Arthritis and Joint Conditions relays “Patients don’t need to do
