Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition, primarily affecting women between the ages of 20 and 60- but it does affect men too. Alongside the pain, patients report fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and digestive problems.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

The first signs of fibromyalgia may follow an event that was physically or emotionally traumatic. Examples could include a road traffic accident, bereavement, giving birth, or break up.

Primary symptoms are:

• widespread pain lasting at least 3 months

• fatigue

• sleep that does not leave you feeling rested

• difficulty concentrating (fibro fog)

You may also experience a broad range of other symptoms, such as IBS, headaches, TMJ dysfunction, insomnia, heartburn, or sun sensitivity to name a few.

Diagnosing Fibromyalgia

The criteria for diagnosing fibromyalgia is comprehensive. In the simplest terms, it depends on your symptoms fulfilling three criteria:

1. Pain that is both widespread and severe

2. Steady symptoms for at least 3 months

3. Symptoms cannot be explained by another disorder

Widespread, Severe Pain

The first point is tested using the Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and Severity Scale (SS). WPI needs to be at least 7 with a SS score of at least 5. Alternatively, if the SS score is 9, a diagnosis can still be reached with a WPI of 3 to 5.

The WPI is calculated by adding up the areas that have been painful in the week leading to the investigation. The body is divided into 19 areas as listed in the criteria.

Severity takes into account fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, and cognitive symptoms. Again, looking at symptoms in the week before the assessment, their severity is rated from 0 (no symptom) to 3, “severe: pervasive, continuous, life-disturbing problems”.

SS also takes the more general symptoms into account, with the practitioner categorising the additional symptoms as anywhere between 0 (no symptoms) and 3 "(“a great deal” of symptoms)

The SS scale score is the sum of the severity of the 3 symptoms (fatigue, waking unrefreshed, cognitive symptoms) plus the general symptoms’ score.

Other Disorders

There is a lot of overlap with other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Fibromyalgia is a functional condition, which means it doesn’t show up on lab tests or imaging. However, other conditions will, so ruling them out is important for reaching an accurate diagnosis.

Management Strategies

There is no known cure for fibromyalgia, but there are some strategies that may help you to manage your symptoms.

Exercise is repeatedly shown to be beneficial to people with fibromyalgia. This might be hard to fathom if you’re suffering with pains and fatigue, but gradually increasing your exercise tolerance may actually improve the very symptoms that limit your current ability. However, your osteopath can help you start an exercise regime that you enjoy, and gradually help you to increase the duration, frequency, or intensity over time.

Some people find that hands on therapies help to manage their muscle and joint pain too. We can work with you to treat in a way that is comfortable, given your increased sensitivity to pain. If you suffer from headaches or other aches and pains as a result of the condition, this may also be within our remit.

Click here to make an appointment in Flitwick for your fibromyalgia