Fibromyalgia Specialist

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes widespread pain throughout your body. As a result of this pain, you may experience sleep disturbances and mental health issues, like anxiety and depression.

The cause of fibromyalgia relates to the disruption in the pain signals that travel to your brain. People affected by the condition have abnormal perceptions of pain that cause them to become more sensitive to pain.

Your risk for fibromyalgia may increase due to factors like:

• Age
• Obesity
• Family history
• Excessive stress
• Rheumatoid arthritis

You may also develop fibromyalgia due to repetitive injuries to your body from overuse or direct trauma.

What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia?

While widespread pain is the hallmark of fibromyalgia, you can also develop other symptoms that interfere with your quality of life, such as:

• Stiffness
• Headaches
• Chronic fatigue
• Memory problems
• Concentration difficulties

In some cases, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet may occur. You might also develop temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), a condition that causes stiffness and pain in your jaw.

What can I expect during a fibromyalgia evaluation?

When chronic, unexplained pain is interfering with your life, the Interventional Pain Management Services physicians recommend a thorough diagnostic evaluation.

Using imaging tests and blood work, the medical team can rule out other conditions that may be causing your symptoms. These tests and your list of symptoms can help confirm a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

What treatments are available for fibromyalgia?

While there’s no cure for fibromyalgia, the Interventional Pain Management Services medical team can help you cope with your symptoms. Initially, you can try over-the-counter medications to keep you comfortable. There are also exercises you can do to keep your muscles strong and healthy.

When pain is severe enough to cause disability, your Interventional Pain Management Services specialist creates a multimodal treatment plan to help address your pain and the other symptoms of fibromyalgia that interfere with work and your personal life*. This plan may include:

• Talk therapy
• Physical therapy
• Prescription pain relievers

It’s also important that you eat right and stay as physically active as possible to alleviate symptoms of fibromyalgia.

If you have chronic fibromyalgia pain that makes it difficult to enjoy a high quality of life, don’t delay treatment. Explore your pain management options by calling the nearest Interventional Pain Management Services office or booking an appointment online today.