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Pain Fibromyalgia

Cooling Painful Hot Spots in Fibromyalgia

Most people try to steer clear of pain if they can. But for people with fibromyalgia, pain is unavoidable. This syndrome, like other chronic pain syndromes, lowers people’s pain thresholds, so that they have severe pain when others might not even feel discomfort.

"There is almost universal agreement that these illnesses occur because of some disturbance in the way that the central nervous system is processing pain," says Dr. Daniel Clauw, director of the University of Michigan Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Rheumatology. "It’s almost as if the volume control is turned up too loud on the nerves in the body."

The American Academy of Rheumatology estimates that between 3 and 6 million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. The pain, fatigue and anxiety these people suffer from can drive them from doctor to doctor in search of a diagnosis, and prevent them from participating in life as fully as they would like to.

While fibromyalgia was once dismissed by most doctors, hundreds of studies have looked at the diagnosis and treatment of this condition over the past 25 years. Even though the precise cause is still unclear, many experts agree that people with fibromyalgia will find relief if they try a combination of medication and non-drug therapies.

Figuring Out Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia, which is much more common in women than men, cannot be diagnosed with standard lab tests. Doctors first need to rule out other conditions that cause pain and/or fatigue such as rheumatoid arthritis or hypothyroidism. A diagnosis is then based on whether someone has pain throughout their body. The doctor will also apply pressure to 11 to 18 hot spots in the body where muscle and tendons meet, such as certain areas on the neck and shoulders, to locate any tender areas. Complicating matters, fibromyalgia can also involve related conditions, such as tension headaches and irritable bowel syndrome.

Another confusing point is that fibromyalgia shares many symptoms with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), which causes persistent fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Fortunately, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia tend to respond to the same treatments.

Stress Overload
Why do certain people become so sensitive to pain? Some doctors suggest that, as odd as it sounds, fibromyalgia is a self-protective measure on the part of the body.

"In your home you have a fuse box, and if you plug too many things in, you blow a fuse that will protect your home from harm," explains Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, director of the Annapolis Center for Effective CFS/Fibromyalgia in Maryland. "Similarly, the hypothalamus in the brain is a major control center for sleep, blood pressure and blood flow and other factors. It’s energy dependant, so if you overdraw your energy, then it’s the area that goes offline first."

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