Fibromyalgia Possible Triggers

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a long term condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. Doctors used to use tender points to help them form a diagnosis. These are areas on the body that feel tender after pressure. However, recent guidelines have phased these out and introduced new diagnostic criteria. In this article, we explain what is the fibromyalgia trigger points are and the current diagnostic criteria that have replaced them.





Possible triggers

Fibromyalgia is often triggered by a stressful event, including physical stress or emotional (psychological) stress.


Possible triggers for the condition include:


an injury

a viral infection

giving birth

having an operation

the breakdown of a relationship

being in an abusive relationship

the death of a loved one

But in some cases fibromyalgia does not develop after any obvious trigger.


Doctors used to use the phrase tender points trigger points to describe sensitive areas on the body that become painful with a standard amount of pressure to the area.


In the past, they would diagnose the condition according to a set of criteria that identified 18 tender points on the body. To qualify for a diagnosis of FM, a person had to experience tenderness in 11 of these tender points.


The previous tender points of FM included the following areas on both sides of the body:


the upper chest

the back of the head

the outer elbows

the knees

the hips

the tops of the shoulders

However, there were multiple issues with these criteria. For example, using tender points was actually contributing to the overdiagnosis of FM.


Also, people with FM may not experience constant pain. The pain may be intermittent, and it can even move to different areas of the body.  It's not clear why some people develop fibromyalgia. The exact cause is unknown, but it's likely that a number of factors are involved.


Associated conditions

There are several other conditions often associated with fibromyalgia.


Generally, these are rheumatic conditions (affecting the joints, muscles and bones), such as:


osteoarthritis – when damage to the joints causes pain and stiffness

lupus – when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells and tissues in various parts of the body

rheumatoid arthritis – when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in the joints, causing pain and swelling

ankylosing spondylitis – pain and swelling in parts of the spine

temporomandibular disorder (TMD) – a condition that can cause pain in the jaw, cheeks, ears and temples


Conditions like these are usually tested for when diagnosing fibromyalgia.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Chiropractic Neck Adjustment

Image
  Neck pain is the worst kind of overachiever. It’s so common that it’s the fourth-leading cause of disability globally, following ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and lower respiratory infection. Nearly 30 percent experience it each year. And it’s not always centralized in the neck. It can radiate across your whole upper body, affecting your shoulders, arms and chest and can even cause headaches. Living with neck pain can be miserable, making it hard to focus and get through the day. Neck pain can be debilitating and may interfere with day-to-day life, including your ability to sleep, feel productive, and enjoy time with friends and family. And it affects more than just your physical body. Studies have shown that chronic pain can have an impact on a person’s mental health; up to 80% of patients with chronic pain are affected by severe depression. The Chiropractic Neck Adjustment Chiropractic neck adjustments, called cervical manipulation, loosen up the joints of the ce
Read more

Dealing with Arthritis in the Jaw

 Pain in the jaw joint could be the result of TMJ, or temporomandibular joint syndrome. Here's everything you need to know about this confusing condition, including home treatment options that can help ease symptoms.  It’s common for kids with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to have arthritis in their temporomandibular joint (TMJ), or jaw. Pediatric rheumatologists often check their patients’ jaws because symptoms can be silent or mild at first TMJ flare up  don’t just affect mouth, they also make entire upper body ache. Face will feel incredibly sore, as if  been grinning all day, Eyes will feel so tired that it’s hard to keep them open. It's challenging to use the computer or read books because the postures aggravate the neck  which is also affected by JA  and shoulders. Muscles are knotted and irritated. Teeth often ache as if I have an infection, and this usually happens in the middle of the night. Not to mention the typical fatigue and soreness that come with a flare.
Read more

Natural TMJ Remedies

Image
 TMJ disorder, also called temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD or TMJD), can cause extreme discomfort and pain to people who have it. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, about 5% to 12% of Americans suffer with TMJD.   Each side of the head has TMJ, which sits just in front of the ears. The temporomandibular joint merges the mandible (lower jaw) and the temporal bone of the skull. TMJ is one of the most intricate joints in the body. Why is this so? The TMJ enables the movement of the jaw in many directions from moving forward and back, opening and closing, to gliding side to side. These movements allow us to perform important actions such as chewing, yawning, and talking.  Similar to how the spine has discs, the TMJ also has a disc within it. The disc absorbs shock and force whenever the joint moves, including when eating and during other movements. Symptoms and Signs of TMD  TMD can arise from different causes, and the pain and experience of i
Read more