Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition related to inflammation in the body. Fibromyalgia can spark pain in many different muscles, joints and nerves in your body. As a result, the disorder affects the perception and experience of pain signaling within your nervous system.
Why are women more prone to get a fibromyalgia diagnosis?
Fibromyalgia is a confusing medical diagnosis. Furthermore, women may be more prone to develop symptoms that lead to a a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. This is because the female nervous system is uniquely wired to process internal and external sensory signals. Also, hormonal influences specific to women can play a role in how they experience pain. Other conditions that are more common in women like depression, anxiety and chronic stressors are also related to fibromyalgia.
What can I do to manage my fibromyalgia symptoms?
The goal of fibromyalgia treatment is to ease discomfort and keep your body moving and functioning. Medications may help with the muscle pain and nerve irritation of fibromyalgia. Therapy for fibromyalgia may include pain or anti-inflammatory prescriptions prescribed by your doctor. To hasten your healing progress, you can use the following approaches:
- Pacing skills, in other words, don’t overload your mind or your body
- Body mechanics techniques (such as ergonomics) to protect your spine and muscles during physical activity or work
- Stretching every morning and night
- Learning how to use stress management and relaxation techniques to manage pain.