How Fibromyalgia Affects Your Entire Body

Approximately 4 million Americans have fibromyalgia, a chronic illness that affects women disproportionately over men. Living with fibromyalgia can be a difficult transition, but the right treatment plan to manage symptoms can help you enjoy your life. 

A large part of effective fibromyalgia treatment is pain management. At Interventional Pain Associates in Austin, Texas, Dr. Sarosh Saleemi and her team work with people experiencing fibromyalgia to help minimize pain and improve energy and mobility.

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is categorized as a chronic disorder represented by widespread musculoskeletal pain as a primary symptom, often with severe accompanying symptoms that can include any or all of the following:

• Fatigue, restless sleep, and insomnia
• Memory loss and cognitive function issues (brain fog)
• Mood swings, depression, and anxiety
• Stiffness of joints in the morning
• Migraines and temporomandibular jaw (TMJ) pain
• Irritable bowel syndrome and urinary tract infections

Why fibromyalgia makes you hurt all over

The leading theory behind fibromyalgia is that the central nervous system has been damaged. Your body begins to process almost all sensations as pain and amplifies them, so you feel widespread pain on both sides of your body, above and below the waist. 

The pain can be sporadic and recurring, or it can be constant. Some people describe it as a widespread ache, while others say they have intermittent tingling, numbness, and spikes of pain. Everyone experiencing fibromyalgia is unique in how their brain and spinal cord interprets and responds to pain.

What causes fibromyalgia?

No one is sure what causes fibromyalgia. Some people have symptoms that appear slowly and get worse over a long period. Others have symptoms that start abruptly after trauma, whether physical or psychological.

If you’re a woman, you’re much more likely to get diagnosed with fibromyalgia than if you are male. Most people start having symptoms in their twenties or thirties. In many cases, people report that they feel like they have had the flu for months.

Treating fibromyalgia pain

Although the symptoms of fibromyalgia are many, pain is often the most urgent complaint. Dr. Saleemi and our team are ready to help you learn to overcome fibromyalgia pain with the help of a holistic, targeted, and tailored medical treatment plan. That typically involves a three-armed approach:

• Physical therapy to help reduce pain, improve mobility and flexibility, and keep you active
• A medication schedule that addresses your pain without side effects or dependency
• Interventional pain management, including anesthetic or steroid injections, spinal cord therapy, or targeted drug delivery to specific pain points

We can help you learn to live a healthy and fulfilling life with fibromyalgia. Contact us today to learn more by calling 512-795-7575 or book an appointment online.