Fibromyalgia is a complex, chronic disorder which currently has no known cause or cure. The symptoms most identified with Fibromyalgia are pain and fatigue. However, Fibromyalgia can also cause a range of other symptoms such as body stiffness, gastro-intestinal and urinary problems, sleep difficulties and headaches. These symptoms can come and go, intensify or decrease, as well as move around the body. As such, this disorder is very difficult to identify and is frequently misdiagnosed. Fibromyalgia is not life-threatening. However, depending on the severity of the symptoms, the disorder can be extremely or completely debilitating and create huge challenges in the daily life of the patient.

The cause of Fibromyalgia is not known, but the vast majority of sufferers are women and it tends to run in families. It is generally believed to be a condition of the brain, and there is a wide variability in how patients develop Fibromyalgia, what their symptoms are, and how they respond to treatment. Popular theories are that Fibromyalgia can be triggered and exacerbated by illness, injury, stress,  and sleep interruptions.

One of the most frustrating aspects of this disorder is the difficulty in diagnosing it. First, diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lupus, which Fibromyalgia frequently mimics, must be ruled out. Then the doctor can use the diagnostic criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology

(ACR) in 1990 for an official diagnosis.

Research Explains Why Painkillers Don't Work for Fibromyalgia

One of the most frustrating and perplexing things about fibromyalgia pain is that the medications used to treat other types of pain often have little effect on it. New research may help explain why.

In a study comparing people with fibromyalgia to people without it, researchers at the University of Michigan Health System found that those with the condition had reduced binding ability of a type of receptor in the brain that is the target of opioid pain medications such asmorphine.

The reduced availability of the receptor, called mu-opioid receptor (MOR), was associated with greater pain among people with fibromyalgia,according to the study published in the Journal of Neuroscience.  “These findings could explain why opioids are anecdotally thought to be ineffective in people with fibromyalgia,” says lead author Richard E. Harris,Ph.D. “The finding is significant because it has been difficult to determine the causes of pain in patients with fibromyalgia, to the pointthat acceptance of the condition by medical practitioners has been slow.”

Interestingly, this same finding may help explain a possible link between fibromyalgia and depression. PET scans showed that the fibromyalgia patients with more depressive symptoms had reductions of MOR binding potential in the amygdala, a region of the brain thought to modulate mood and the emotional dimension of pain. 9/28/07

Fascia is strong connective tissue which performs a number of functions, including enveloping and isolating the muscles of the body, providing structural support and protection. It is a product of mesenchyme, a type of connective tissue which develops in embryos before differentiating into numerous other structures in the body. Mesechyme also forms the foundation for bone, cartilage, and important components of the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Fascia is a very important part of the body, and it has three layers, starting with the superficial fascia directly under the skin and ending with subserous fascia, deep inside the body.

Fascia is thin, but very fibrous and strong. Anyone who has skinned chicken breasts or trimmed meat has encountered fascia, the whitish colored thin sheets of tissue between the skin and muscle of the meat. Fascia forms directly under the skin and serves as a strong layer of connective tissue between the skin and muscles underneath it.

The top layer of fascia is superficial fascia, which may be mixed with varying amounts of fat, depending on where it is on the body. The skull and hands have a particularly noticeable layer of superficial fascia which connects the skin to the tissues and bone underneath it. By wriggling your scalp, you can see that superficial fascia is strong but flexible, keeping the skin firmly anchored while allowing its owner to move freely.

Underneath the superficial fascia lies deep fascia, a much more densely packed and strong layer of fascia. Deep fascia covers the muscles in connective tissue aggregations which help to keep the muscles divided and protected. On occasion, this fascia can create tight knots or connective adhesions which act as trigger points which can cause pain. A variety of treatments including myofascial release and stretching are used to treat this condition, which can be debilitating and extremely painful. If a patient is diagnosed with a condition like myofascial pain syndrome, it may be useful to know that the term myofascial means “fascia related to the muscles,” and that these conditions do not necessarily involve the superficial and subserous fascia.

The subserous fascia lies between deep fascia and major organs of the body. It is more flexible than deep fascia, and the body leaves for space around it so that the organs can move freely. Like deep fascia, subserous fascia can also form fibrous knots and adhesions which can be painful unless they are addressed.

A Beneficial Tool

Katy/W Houston People With Fibromyalgia/Chronic Pain!