Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome that can cause widespread body pain, fatigue, and cognitive issues. A person may confuse fibromyalgia symptoms with those of arthritis, or joint inflammation.

What causes fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia syndrome has been shown to be genetic. The disorder frequently becomes evident after stressful events. The stressful events may be emotional (such as a traumatic life event), physical (such as a motor vehicle accident), or medical (such as certain infections). The pain felt is more intense because the pain is amplified by abnormalities in the central nervous system and in pain processing. Because of this, things that are not normally painful may be painful for someone with fibromyalgia. In addition, fibromyalgia causes the pain from any given cause to be worse. For example, a patient with fibromyalgia may find a massage painful instead of pleasant.