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Fibromyalgia:definition, causes and treatments

Fibromyalgia:definition, causes and treatments

Fibromyalgia is a disease still little known today. It affects approximately 2 million French people, mainly women aged 40 to 60. Research is still in progress on the causes of this disease, it is not yet determined, but some leads are to be exploited.

Side symptoms, patients feel the same pain in the same points of the body but to different degrees. The treatments to be recommended are based on analgesics combined with other methods.

Fibromyalgia definition

Fibromyalgia is a disease that is manifested by diffuse pain in the body. These are muscle pains on different points of the body such as along the cervical or even at the lumbosacral level. The pains can also be located at the elbows and knees, near the hips as well as on the inner edges of the scapula. The pain is chronic and accompanied by fatigue. The patient thus feels a general state of fatigue and suffers from sleep disorders. Fibromyalgia is not a very serious disease, but it is disabling in everyday life, because the pain is not yet fully supported.

The causes of fibromyalgia

Research is gradually advancing on the exact determination of the causes of fibromyalgia. They are not yet well defined, but there are some tracks that we can evoke such as emotional shock or physical trauma. Anxiety and stress can also cause fibromyalgia. Sleep disturbance known as a symptom of the disease is also one of its causes. Some researchers hypothesize hormonal dysfunction in the pituitary gland and hypothalamus or a very high sensitivity to pain, but all of this is still at the stage of hypotheses. Finally, a certain number of studies still in progress evoke the possible genetic transmission.

Treatments for fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia:definition, causes and treatments

Several treatments are proposed, which adapt according to the case of each patient. A healthy lifestyle is the first treatment to adopt. Contrary to what one might think, physical exercises allow pain relief. Walking, stretching or doing yoga are recommended.

Relaxation exercises are also recommended, which would promote a serene state and a good night's sleep. They also make it possible to prevent the depressive states which can reach the patient because of the chronicity of the pains. Thus, foods classified as exciting should be avoided if possible.

Spa treatments also provide benefits to the sick. The setting, the environment and the care of the patient contribute enormously to the relief of pain. Homeopathy treatments are not to be neglected, certainly they do not directly target the disease, but reduce symptoms such as fatigue and sleep disorders. Finally, analgesics can bring some relief by acting directly on the pain.

Although fibromyalgia was recognized by the WHO in 1992, the causes and treatments are still unclear. Significant advances are eagerly awaited for better care and permanent cure of patients.