Myofascial & Fibromyalgia Pain

A source of musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia is a common and frequently undiagnosed condition.  This condition affects around 3% of the population in the United States. This medical condition is most common in women (age 20-50) but can appear in all ages.

Complaints of pain all over with sleep disturbances are characteristic in fibromyalgia patients.  People with fibromyalgia can still wake up with fatigue even with sufficient amounts of sleep. Deficiency of restful sleep can aggravate or worsen symptoms. The vicious cycle of increasing fatigue and pain can decrease sleep. This lack of sleep can increase pain and so it goes.

Often patients will start to feel better within a few weeks and show significant improvement within the first couple of visits.

With fibromyalgia, there are several “tender points,” or painful and sensitive to the touch, body area’s that help confirm the diagnosis.  Unlike other sickness, there isn’t specific bloodwork to detect fibromyalgia. Often a “diagnosis of exclusion,” our doctors can search for other conditions which cause the same symptoms.

There has been a vast amount of progress for fibromyalgia treatment in the last 20 years. Successful doctors, in the treatment of fibromyalgia, must look in depth at possible causes and not rely on surface, or obvious, symptoms. There are many conditions that mimic fibromyalgia symptoms and can be easily confused. Due to this, focused knowledge and considerable effort are required from the physician and patient to look for other possible causes of fibromyalgia symptoms. Treating symptoms doesn’t resolve underlying conditions, which is very critical to understand. Gathering all the information, double checking assumptions, getting to the root of the problem takes more than a 10-minute visit with your doctor.

Diseases with similar symptoms include:

  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Lupus
  • Myofascial Pain
  • Musculoskeletal Injury
  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Drug Side Effects
  • Nutritional Deficiencies
  • Hormonal Deficiencies
  • Thyroid Disease
  • Sleep Apnea

At Houston Spine and Sports Medicine, the goal, once achieved, is to bring back the usual strength and energy levels and reduce overall pain.  Our doctors stay abreast of the latest breakthroughs and make sure you get the best possible treatment.  We pride ourselves on doing the most we can when it comes to Fibromyalgia treatment. Often patients will start to feel better within a few weeks and show significant improvement within the first couple of visits.