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1163 - 032021 Managing Body Pain Caused by Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition causing pain all over the body that is not fully understood. It involves a vicious cycle where poor sleep exacerbates muscle tension and pain, worsening sleep quality. Symptoms include widespread pain, fatigue, sleep issues, and increased sensitivity. Treatment focuses on exercise, medications, and therapies like CBT to manage symptoms and disrupt the pain-sleep cycle.

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125 views4 pages

1163 - 032021 Managing Body Pain Caused by Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition causing pain all over the body that is not fully understood. It involves a vicious cycle where poor sleep exacerbates muscle tension and pain, worsening sleep quality. Symptoms include widespread pain, fatigue, sleep issues, and increased sensitivity. Treatment focuses on exercise, medications, and therapies like CBT to manage symptoms and disrupt the pain-sleep cycle.

Uploaded by

zehra khowaja
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Managing body pain caused by fibromyalgia

Produced: March 2021


Department of Rheumatology
Review: March 2024
Information for Patients Leaflet number: 1163 Version: 1

What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia causes pain and tenderness all over the body. It is a condition that it not really
understood, despite lots of research looking into it. In a few people we do find a definite
cause for their symptoms, but in most people it appears to come on gradually.
A vicious cycle of events can occur:
 You may have a poor un-refreshing sleep pattern as your pain gets worse. We know
from research that if people are unable to get into the deep refreshing stage of sleep,
they cannot then relax their muscles properly, and their involuntary resting muscle
tension is raised.
 This leads to aching all over which can then stop you from sleeping properly the next
night. This then causes further problems with your muscles.
 This also leads to further periods of tiredness despite taking long intervals of rest. You
may start to nap during the day which can then prevent your body from getting into
the deep stage of sleep the next night, making the problem worse.
 This becomes a vicious cycle which can get worse and can become very difficult to
get out of.

We also know from research that patients with fibromyalgia sometimes have low levels of
certain chemicals within the brain, which affects how they perceive a sensation of pain.
For example a light touch and movements that would not normally cause problems, can
cause a real feeling of pain or numbness in someone with fibromyalgia, with symptoms
such as pins and needles. But there is no physical problem to explain it that we can fix.

Health information and support is available at www.nhs.uk


or call 111 for non-emergency medical advice
Visit www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk for maps and information about visiting Leicester’s Hospitals
To give feedback about this information sheet, contact [email protected]
1 Re-use of this leaflet is restricted by Creative Commons license
Symptoms of fibromyalgia

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are:


 pain - you may feel as though you’ve got pain that spreads throughout your entire body, with
certain parts such as your neck and back feeling particularly painful. See the diagram of
trigger/ tender points on page 4. You may also notice clicking in your joints.
 tiredness (fatigue) and generally feeling like you have no energy.
 sleeping badly and waking up feeling like you have not head any rest.
 aching and stiffness which often feels worse during or after you’ve been active.

It is common for your condition to flare-up, making your symptoms suddenly worse.

Fibromyalgia can also cause:


 forgetfulness or poor concentration.
 stress, worry or low mood.
 tingling, numbness or swelling of your hands and feet.
 headaches.
 restless legs syndrome – a tingling, uncomfortable feeling in your legs, especially at night.
 irritability, or feeling low or weepy.
 feeling like you urgently need to pee, especially at night.
 painful menstrual periods.
 diarrhoea, constipation and stomach pain – sometimes separately diagnosed as irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS).
 increased sensitivity to things like cold, sound, knocks and bumps.
 tender or overly sensitive joints and muscles.

The pain can feel like it’s affecting your whole body, or it may be particularly bad in just a few
areas. For some people, the pain gets worse in extreme temperatures when it is very hot or cold,
or in damp weather.
Besides the pain, fatigue can also be the worst part of fibromyalgia for some people. This can lead
to a difficulty to think clearly or remember things properly, which is sometimes called fibro fog or
brain fog.

2 www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk
Treatment options / managing your symptoms
Different painkillers can be tried but these may not fully work.
Sometimes low doses of medication such as nortriptyline, amitriptyline, pregabalin, gabapentin,
duloxetine and fluoxetine may help in certain circumstances. These medications may also be used
for treatment of depression, in this case we may use them to also help with pain in fibromyalgia.
These drugs have an effect on some of the chemical's in your brain (neuro-transmitters) which
can help to significantly reduce pain. It is important to be realistic about their possible benefits,
and stop them if there is no significant improvement. Many patients still describe their pain score
as 10 out of 10, despite being on 4 medications for pain, which can have harmful side effects.
The best approach is to stay fit and active as much as your condition allows. If you don’t do
enough exercise the condition usually gets worse. Aerobic exercise can help to get a more
refreshing sleep pattern. Physiotherapy can be of benefit to get a regulated and sustainable
exercise regime. An exercise programme using the principles of tai chi, pilates and yoga can also
be beneficial.
Studies have shown that mindfulness/ mind–body therapy has also been found to be useful.
It is important that patients suffering from fibromyalgia pace themselves in any activity that they
try. This means taking periods of rest after a period of activity, to get a balance. Do not over do it
or push yourself beyond your limits. If you do not pace yourself, it could slow down your progress
in the long term.
Another treatment approach is a psychological technique called cognitive behavioural therapy
(CBT). If you would like to look at this option you will need to discuss this with your GP.

Contact details
If you have any further queries, please contact the Rheumatology Department on 0116 258 5819
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Further information
The sources below provide a useful understanding of the condition and how best to manage it to
improve your health:
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-45369402/fibromyalgia-like-red-hot-lava-radiating-
through-my-body
 https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/1251/fibromyalgia-information-booklet.pdf
 https://fibroguide.med.umich.edu/ - developed by a team at University of Michigan and led by
a world expert in fibromyalgia.
 www.bodyreprogramming.org/ - this is a new intervention provided by colleagues in
Plymouth and it continues to be developed with help from patients.
 www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/pain-service/reconnect2life/ - developed by
Torbay and South Devon NHS trust to help fibromyalgia patients get back a good quality of
life.
3 www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk
Trigger/ tender points
People with fibromyalgia can have widespread pain and tenderness around the body in specific
trigger points, as shown in the diagram below. When you press on these spots they feel sore.

‫ تو برا ِہ کرم مندرجہ ذیل نمبر پر ٹیلی فون کریں۔‬،‫اگر آپ کو یہ معلومات کسی اور زبان میں درکار ہیں‬
ُ
‫ الرجاء االتصال على رقم الهاتف الذي يظهر في األسفل‬،‫ة أخرى‬ ٍ ‫على هذہ المعلومات بلغ‬
જો તમને અન્ય ભાષામાાં આ માહિતી જોઈતી િોય, તો નીચે આપેલ નાંબર પર કૃપા કરી ટેહલફોન કરો
ਜੇ ਤੁ ਸੀਂ ਇਹ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਕਕਸੇ ਹੋਰ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਕਿਚ ਚਾਹੁੁੰਦੇ ਹੋ, ਤਾਾਂ ਕਕਰਪਾ ਕਰਕੇ ਹੇਠਾਾਂ ਕਦਿੱਤੇ ਗਏ ਨੁੰਬਰ ‘ਤੇ ਟੈਲੀਫੋਨ ਕਰੋ।
Aby uzyskać informacje w innym języku, proszę zadzwonić pod podany niżej numer telefonu

If you would like this information in another language or format such as EasyRead
or Braille, please telephone 0116 250 2959 or email [email protected]
Leicester’s Hospitals is a research active trust so you may find research happening on your
ward or in your clinic. To find out about the benefits of research and become involved yourself,
speak to your clinician or nurse, call 0116 258 8351 or visit www.leicestersresearch.nhs.uk/
4 patient-and-public-involvement

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