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You Don’t Have to Live With Fibromyalgia Pain
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes body-wide tenderness and pain. Many people living with fibromyalgia also deal with fatigue, sleep disturbances, and memory issues.
There is no single test to confirm fibromyalgia, and it’s often confused with other conditions, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or other health problems that cause joint and muscle pain. Because of that, this condition is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood or even shrugged off as non-existent.
Fibromyalgia doesn’t have a cure, so many times people feel like they have to live in pain and discomfort for the rest of their lives.
At RapidRecovery TMS, our team is passionate about helping people receive a proper fibromyalgia diagnosis and provide a wide range of treatments to manage symptoms.
So, if you suspect that you have fibromyalgia, this month’s blog takes a closer look at the causes and symptoms and your treatment options.
Common symptoms and causes of fibromyalgia
The two most commonly reported symptoms of fibromyalgia are pain and fatigue. However, symptoms of the condition can also include:
- Face and jaw pain (TMJ)
- Headaches
- Digestion issues
- Bladder control problems
- Dry eyes
- Trouble focusing
While experts aren’t sure what triggers fibromyalgia, it’s often thought that changes in how your brain sends pain signals cause the condition, making you much more sensitive to pain.
You may also be more susceptible to developing fibromyalgia if one or more family members have the condition. Other risk factors include:
- Being a woman
- Being middle-aged or above
- Having mental health challenges, such as anxiety or depression
- Being emotionally or physically abused
- Having a chronic illness such as irritable bowel syndrome or osteoarthritis
Being chronically stressed has also been linked to flare-ups in fibromyalgia pain.
Treatments for fibromyalgia
While fibromyalgia isn’t a life-threatening condition, it can drastically affect your quality of life. You need to know that your pain is real and that you don’t have to accept it or pretend it doesn’t exist.
Many management options are available at RapidRecovery TMS, including:
Medications
Since fibromyalgia so often causes pain, taking pain medications can help you function better during the day and get restful sleep at night. Other medications, such as antidepressants or anti-seizure drugs, have also been proven to help with blocking pain signals.
Therapy
Since stress and mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, can trigger fibromyalgia, attending therapy can manage your mental health and fibromyalgia.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Because fibromyalgia is often caused by misfired pain signals from your brain, changing how your brain communicates can minimize pain. And that’s exactly what TMS does. Since your brain is electrically active, TMS can send electromagnetic waves to certain portions of your brain, affecting how pain is translated to the rest of your body.
TMS has shown promising results for managing fibromyalgia pain.
For more information on managing your fibromyalgia pain, call our office or book online today to schedule an appointment with our RapidRecovery TMS team.