The symptoms of chronic fibromyalgia include: Stiffness in extremities, particularly the hands and fingers. Muscle and joint pain or throbbing joints in the fingers, knuckles and wrist. A feeling of “tightness”, tenderness or weakness in hand muscles.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes visible damage to joints. Fibromyalgia does not. Rheumatoid arthritis also gets progressively worse, causing swelling and sometimes deformities. The pain from fibromyalgia is more widespread, while rheumatoid arthritis is concentrated initially to hands, wrists, knees and balls of the feet.
Does fibromyalgia affect your hands and feet? Yes, fibromyalgia can cause pain in the hands and feet, and other parts of the body.
People with fibromyalgia may have feelings of numbness and tingling in their hands, arms, feet, legs or sometimes in their face. These feelings can suggest other disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, neuritis or even multiple sclerosis.
Symptoms include pins and needles, numbness, tingling, and weakness. People with fibromyalgia may experience the same symptoms. However, these symptoms tend to come and go in fibromyalgia. In peripheral neuropathy, they are usually constant.
Physical and emotional stress are the most common triggers of fibromyalgia flares. Other triggers include lack of sleep, weather changes, and hormone imbalances.
Similar to osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia hand pain and stiffness may be at their worst in the morning. Other symptoms include numbness, tingling, severe fatigue, and psychological changes, such as anxiety and depression.
Rheumatoid arthritis may cause stiffness and pain with movement. Over time, deformity of the fingers may occur. Lupus is a long-lasting autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks normal body tissues as though they were foreign substances. It may cause joint pain.
Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus. They have symptoms of widespread pain along with joint involvement. Most rheumatic diseases are treated with medication and physical therapy.
The drugs amitriptyline, duloxetine, milnacipran and pregabalin can relieve fibromyalgia pain in some people. They may cause side effects such as a dry mouth or nausea. Normal painkillers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen (paracetamol) aren't recommended for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
Results: There were four parent stages of FM identified and labeled: 1) regional FM with classic symptoms; 2) generalized FM with increasing widespread pain and some additional symptoms; 3) FM with advanced and associated conditions, increasing widespread pain, increased sleep disturbances, and chemical sensitivity; ...
Multiple sclerosis does not directly affect the joints. However, it does cause issues that can lead to joint pain. Examples of such issues include: weakened muscles.
The central feature of fibromyalgia is chronic pain in multiple sites. These sites are the head, each arm, the chest, the abdomen, each leg, the upper back and spine, and the lower back and spine (including the buttocks). The pain may be mild to severe. It may feel like a deep ache, or a stabbing, burning pain.
The FM/a ® Test analyzes your immune system's white blood cells for their chemokine and cytokine protein patterns. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia will show an abnormal pattern of these protective proteins.
Fibromyalgia is known as an “invisible disease.” You can't see brain fog, digestive issues, muscle weakness; sensitivity to light, noise, and odors. But they are part of our “new normal” and while we may not look sick, we absolutely know we are.
Key Differences Between MS and Fibromyalgia
MS is an autoimmune disease caused by a problem within the immune system that causes damage to the layer covering the nerves. Fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by abnormal levels of chemicals in the brain.
Other health conditions that cause similar symptoms must be ruled out before a fibromyalgia diagnosis can be made. Medical tests that may be ordered during the diagnostic process include blood and lab tests, imaging studies, and nerve function tests.
Fibromyalgia, an illness characterized by chronic, widespread pain and tenderness,1 is estimated to affect about 5 million U.S. adults. Fibromyalgia was formerly classified as an inflammatory musculoskeletal disease but is now considered to be an illness that primarily affects the central nervous system.
A fibromyalgia attack is also known as a flare-up. An attack can come on suddenly and cause mild to severe pain. These attacks may cause aching, burning, throbbing, or stabbing.
If you have fibromyalgia, one of the main symptoms is likely to be widespread pain. This may be felt throughout your body, but could be worse in particular areas, such as your back or neck. The pain is likely to be continuous, although it may be better or more severe at different times.
Fibromyalgia can be associated with ocular symptoms (foreign body sensation, irritation) and visual disturbances (blurred vision), coexisting with dry eye syndrome and reduced corneal sensitivity. Cases of scleritis, including the necrotizing form, accompanying fibromyalgia have been reported.