#FibromyalgiaDiaries: Types of Fibromyalgia Pain + Symptoms
If you are battling fibromyalgia or know someone who is, or you've been following this series in the NatureTherapy Journal, you're probably aware of how painful this chronic condition is. But did you also know that there are types of fibromyalgia pain?
Commonly referred to as 'fibro', fibromyalgia is typically characterised by the onset of pain, tenderness, fatigue, and other symptoms experienced on a regular basis, for unexplainable reasons. Some symptoms that you might need to watch out for are
Individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia are known to describe their pain in different ways - some common and others, rare. In most cases, these various pains overlap, creating a situation that is... indescribable. Little wonder then, that fibromyalgia patients are called warriors!
Allodynia
is a rare and perhaps among the most painful is allodynia, which is basically extreme sensitive skin to the extent, where, at times, even wearing clothes is excruciatingly painful because your skin reacts in pain to a touch, be it human, from wearing a garment or even whilst brushing hair. The pain has often been compared to 'sunburn' by those with fibromyalgia.
Headaches
and severe ones, like migraines or stress headaches are a common complaint among patients with fibromyalgia. They also often complaint of tension headaches, the kind where there is a dull, throbbing pain at the base of the skull or neck. These are often caused by stress, the constant pain, lack of sleep and fatigue.
Hyperalgesia
an increased (hyper) sensitivity to and reaction towards pain; research states that in the case of fibro patients, the brain decodes pain signals in an amplified state which translates into patients experiencing pain in a more pronounced manner.
Joint pain
is among the reasons why fibromyalgia can be confused with rheumatic arthritis pain. The pain can be felt in any and every joint, from the jaws to the knuckles, knees,and elbows. The distinguishing factor here is the inflammation - arthritis has swollen and painful joints while in fibromyalgia, there is no swelling.
Neuropathic Pain
tingling or burning sensations in the arms and legs, or as if a bug is crawling up and around and causing severe itching, that's what neuropathic pain is all about.
Overall muscular pain
in this case means feeling like you've got the flu body-ache even when you don't have flu. Fibromyalgia pain is characterised by this widespread, persistent throbbing pain in the soft tissues and muscles, especially in the lower back, neck, and shoulders, between shoulder blades, and legs too.
Stomach & pelvic pain
an irritable bowel symptom and resulting issues like cramps, acidity, indigestion, diarrhoea, or acid reflux is a part and parcel of fibromyalgia. Some women also suffer from pain in the pelvic joints or closer to the groin which causes them to pee frequently or feel the need to pee.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain in the bones and muscles. The medical community finds the condition difficult to diagnose due to its similarity with other chronic pain illnesses like osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis. The difference between these conditions and fibromyalgia is in the areas of pain – in the former, you are racked with pain in specific areas, but in fibromyalgia, the pain is widespread. That's why diagnosis is made by the process of elimination. Here's an interesting fact: records show over 90% of fibromyalgia sufferers are women.
DISCLAIMER: All opinions and suggestions shared are from our Founder’s detailed research and experiences in managing symptoms in her own battle with fibromyalgia
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