Chronic Fatigue & Fibromyalgia (Part II)

Chronic Fatigue & Fibromyalgia Part II

by Dr. George Crabb

Fibromyalgia is actually a rheumatic type disorder characterized by diffuse muscular skeletal pain with trigger points (or tender points) throughout the body, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. Common associated symptoms include depression, irritable bowel, headaches, dizziness, decreased memory, temporal mandibular joint symptoms, and anxiety.

If you are experiencing this condition, your fatigue is accompanied by extremely tender muscles, which usually occur in specific areas of the body. Nine different trigger points are commonly associated with fibromyalgia. These include the muscles in the neck, in the upper back, in the mid-back, at the base of the skull, in the buttocks, in the upper portion of the thigh, just above the lateral elbow and in the rib cage, especially around the second rib. The major symptoms include:

#1 Six or more trigger points of the body that are reproducible.

#2 Muscle aches, pains and stiffness of a minimum of three different areas for at least three months.

Disorders that produce similar symptoms must be excluded. The minor symptoms include:

#1 Sleep disturbances

#2 Irritable bowel syndrome

#3 Generalized fatigue

#4 Chronic headaches

#5 Tingling or numbness sensations

#6 Swelling of the joints

#7 Psychological and neurological complaints

#8 Symptoms varying in intensity with activity, stress, or change of weather

Fibromyalgia is much more common in women than in men. Some reports have said that it occurs as much as ten times more often in women than in men. Medical tests such as x-rays and blood tests usually do not reveal any abnormalities.

In our next blog, we will look at what individuals can do to help them cope with these conditions.











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