What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal condition that causes you to feel pain throughout your entire body. Researchers are still learning about this condition and theorize that fibromyalgia affects the way your brain processes pain, resulting in an amplification in the pain you feel. Fibromyalgia can affect anyone, but it’s more common in women.

How do I know if I have fibromyalgia?

There’s no one definitive test to diagnose fibromyalgia, but the team at Pain Medicine Group can provide a diagnosis after a thorough examination, which may include a physical, blood work, and review of your medical history.

If you’ve had chronic widespread pain for more than three months that affects your entire body with noted areas of tenderness, you may have fibromyalgia. Other common symptoms include:

• Constant, dull, achy pain that lasts longer than three months
• Chronic fatigue
• Difficulty paying attention or concentrating on a task

Fibromyalgia often co-exists with other chronic conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease, and headaches. However, you don’t have to have these other conditions to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

How is fibromyalgia managed?

The team at Pain Medicine Group offer a number of treatment options to relieve your fibromyalgia pain and improve your quality of life, including:

• Over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers
• Antidepressants
• Gabapentin, an anti-seizure medication that reduces pain
• Pregabalin, the first medication FDA-approved for treating fibromyalgia

Because the specialists at Pain Medicine Group take a multidisciplinary approach to pain management, your treatment plan may also include physical or occupational therapy, along with talk therapy with a licensed counselor.

What can I do at home to reduce my fibromyalgia pain?

In addition to the assistance provided by the team at Pain Medicine Group, certain lifestyle changes, such as identifying stress management techniques and getting enough sleep, may also help to alleviate some of your discomfort.

Your doctor may also recommend that you incorporate an exercise program into your daily routine. It may be difficult at first — when you’re in pain, the last thing you want to do is work out — but as you continue to exercise, the pain lessens.

For expert management of your fibromyalgia pain, call Pain Medicine Group or schedule an appointment online today.

What other medical issues do we treat?

At Pain Medicine Group, we treat a wide range of medical issues including:

• Arm Pain
• Arthritis pain
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Degenerative Disc
• Disc Herniation
• Fibromyalgia pain
• Foot pain
• Headache
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Leg pain
• Low back pain
• Migraines
• Neck pain
• Nerve pain
• Neuropathy
• Radiculopathy
• Sciatica pain
• Shoulder pain