Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disorder known for widespread pain in the muscle and bones, specific areas of tenderness on the body, and extreme fatigue. These are symptoms which cannot be measured by any kind of medical test, and there is no known cause of this condition. Fibromyalgia often gets misdiagnosed, leading to frustration for those that suffer from it. Fibromyalgia is the second most common condition affecting your muscles and bones.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
No one is really sure why fibromyalgia happens, but it is theorized to be a problem with how your brain and spinal cord process pain signals via your nerves. Some people are more susceptible to getting FM:
- Women
- Those who have other painful diseases like arthritis or infections
- Those who have anxiety or depression or other mood disorders
- Those who have been emotionally or physically abused or have PTSD
- Those who rarely get exercise
- Those who have other family members with the condition
Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
To simply explain fibromyalgia, it is aching all over. Here are some common symptoms in addition to the achiness:
- Low pain threshold
- Tender areas on the body that even light touch hurts
- Muscle pain, twitching, burning, or tightness
- Severe fatigue
- Fibro fog — feeling like you cannot focus or remember things well
- Insomnia and other sleep disruptions
- Feeling anxious, depressed, and worried
Fibromyalgia can feel similar to osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis. However, the pain is not specifically located but rather widespread throughout the body. Other symptoms include the following:
- Dry mouth, nose, and eyes
- Peeling more often
- Sensitivity to light, sound, cold, and heat
- Stomach pain, constipation, bloating, diarrhea, queasiness, irritable bowel syndrome
- Numbness and tingling in the face, arms, legs, hands, and feet
Migraines and Fibromyalgia
One of the most common symptoms of FM is headaches. In addition to muscle tension headaches (brought about by back and neck muscles that will not relax) are migraine headaches. In fact, migraines and fibromyalgia have many similarities. Comparing them side by side reveals that many causes and ways to care for them overlap. Those who are successfully treated for migraines often find that their FM improves as well.
Commonalities in Fibromyalgia and Migraines
Brain pain: The theory that FM originates due to a disturbance in the brain’s pain center is very similar to what is thought to cause migraines. Some experts believe chronic pain disorders like fibromyalgia and migraines may be due to the same disturbance and both conditions are actually the result of a defect in the regulation of neurotransmitters, including epinephrine and serotonin. Migraines have similar symptoms to FM: light and sound sensitivity, insomnia, depression, and anxiety to name just a few.
Women are affected more than men: The fact that women have FM and migraines more than others in the population is also something to consider. Both of these conditions impact mostly women in the age range of 30 to 50. As many as half of those who have fibromyalgia also have migraines. It is hard to tell if migraines bring on FM or FM brings on migraines. Things such as sleep disorders, low magnesium levels, TMJ, and other neurotransmitters are common in both conditions, making it hard to differentiate between the two.
Central Sensitization: Recent research has revealed in those with fibromyalgia and those with migraines, the levels of cerebrospinal fluid were higher than normal. What is central sensitization? Basically, it is connected to the body’s alarm system. The nervous system is responsible for making the arms and legs move. Nerves make the heart beat and the lungs breathe. The nervous system keeps the body alive and working as it is supposed to. This system has a built-in alarm system. It perceives danger and automatically triggers a protective response. When this system is working well, everything is good. However, sometimes this system goes a little crazy. If the alarm system becomes too sensitive, pain is felt more intensely. In this over-sensitized state, sometimes the alarm system does not shut off. Much like a smoke detector or car alarm that will not shut off, it can be very annoying. It results in a constant signal output of nerve pain even when there is no pain. Instead of helping protect your life, it hinders you from living. It can cause both fibromyalgia and migraines, along with other pain symptoms. So, the question is what makes this system not function properly?
Finding Relief for Both Migraines and Fibromyalgia
The brainstem is protected by the C1 and C2 vertebrae and is part of the central nervous system. If some type of trauma has happened to cause the C1 or C2 to misalign, they can actually be putting stress on the brainstem and causing it to malfunction. The brainstem is the communication highway of the body. If it is being hindered in some way, it can be sending the brain signals that there is pain in the body when, in fact, there is no pain in the body. This can lead to fibromyalgia and migraines.
Upper cervical chiropractors have been specially trained to find tiny misalignments in the neck and work to correct them. We use a method that is gentle, yet effective. Rather than putting more stress on the body by cracking and popping the neck and back, we use a technique which encourages the bones to move back into place more naturally. Once this is corrected and the brainstem is no longer under stress, many have seen their fibromyalgia and migraines improve or even go away entirely.
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