| Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is the medical | | | | management, physical therapy, meditation, |
| terminology used to represent a complex clinical | | | | exercise, alternative therapies, and |
| disorder of symptoms characterized by soft | | | | cognitive-behavioral therapy are useful. CBT is a |
| tissue pain, stiffness, and altered deep pain | | | | valuable therapeutic treatment option for those |
| threshold with psychological fallout. It can mimic or | | | | suffering from pain syndromes. One of the |
| accompany symptoms of joint injury, but it is not | | | | byproducts of pain can be the escalation of |
| an arthritic or neurological condition. The disorder | | | | anxiety and depression. Likewise, anxiety and |
| affects between 3 to 6 million people - or as | | | | depression can intensify the impact of pain and |
| many as one in 50 Americans. About 80 and 90 | | | | make it more debilitating. |
| percent of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia are | | | | Cognitive-behavioral therapy's goal is to teach the |
| women. | | | | FMS patient to embrace pain rather than fight it. |
| There is usually an emotional overlay of | | | | Cognitive distortions, such as magnification and |
| depression and anxiety that affects the sufferer. | | | | "catastrophizing" need to be addressed so that |
| There are numerous reasons why this is true. | | | | patients learn to de-escalate fueling the pain |
| Many within the medical community have | | | | process. How one thinks about his pain affects its |
| discounted fibromyalgia as a bona fide disease. | | | | impact. One can learn to rationally respond to pain |
| Patients have been told that they are | | | | by saying:o "Although this problem is difficult, I can |
| over-dramatizing their pain and that the stiffness | | | | learn to manage it."o "What's the use of getting all |
| or soreness has been psychologically induced. | | | | upset about my pain, it won't help anyway."o "If I |
| Others have been told that the condition was | | | | relax and walk into my pain, maybe all this will feel |
| fabricated for attention or perceived by health | | | | less troublesome."o "I'm not alone in this. I have |
| providers as feigned helplessness. These | | | | the support of my family and friends."o "I'm not |
| assertions from medical experts make patients | | | | helpless, I have many strategies I can try to |
| with FMS feel ignored, mistrusted, alone and | | | | minimize the effect of my pain. Just keep |
| without support. Patients often turn to self-blame, | | | | moving!" |
| which fuels the pain cycle. | | | | Cognitive-behavioral therapy can assist the |
| The pain and symptoms of fibromyalgia are real | | | | fibromyalgia patient to identify stressful triggers |
| and have a definite physical basis. | | | | that exacerbate pain. This may involve examining |
| There is no known cause for fibromyalgia. Some | | | | family struggles, exploring inner-conflict, and |
| researchers have speculated that physical trauma | | | | working with core, self-defeating assumptions that |
| or viral influences have triggered FMS syndrome in | | | | affect thinking and behavior. Teaching the patient |
| many patients. There are no known abnormalities | | | | mindfulness meditation as a way of relaxing the |
| in the muscle tissue of fibromyalgia patients that | | | | sympathetic nervous system is beneficial. |
| would account for the disease. | | | | Through the use of CBT, a therapist can provide |
| Current research has focused on regions of the | | | | the fibromyalgia patient with structured |
| FMS patient's brain and the susceptibility of certain | | | | homework assignments that will help pain |
| brain locations to pain sensitivity. The brain | | | | sufferers to experiment with new behaviors such |
| receives a pain signal from the muscles and stays | | | | as increased involvement and activities. Motivating |
| in a state of alert. For unknown reasons, the brain | | | | the client to set realistic goals for everyday |
| fails to let go of the pain signal and sets up a | | | | functioning can be helpful. Encouraging a |
| chronic pattern or pain syndrome. The brain stays | | | | multidisciplinary approach involving exercise, |
| in a constant feedback loop, consisting of a | | | | physical therapy, rehabilitation and pain |
| system of amplified pain signals. | | | | management are essential. |
| Recent brain scan research studies have shed | | | | Fibromyalgia patients fear that their disorder will |
| new light on this disorder. Results published in the | | | | cause them to lose the ability to function at work |
| May 2008 edition of the Journal of American | | | | and at home. Teaching patients to focus on what |
| College of Rheumatology shows that | | | | they can do rather than their limitations is |
| neuroscientists have been able to conduct | | | | important. There is a tendency for fibromyalgia |
| scanning technology to areas of the brain | | | | patients to distort reality by focusing on negative |
| affected by fibromyalgia. Mild pressure on trigger | | | | perceptions to the exclusion of the positive. |
| points of the patient has produced measurable | | | | Helping the patient and family to accept physical |
| brain response in processing the sensation of pain. | | | | limitations is a necessary component to successful |
| The elevated response of pain in FMS patient's | | | | treatment. |
| brain scans was significantly different from those | | | | Fibromyalgia patients can easily get enmeshed in a |
| in the control group of the study. This is one of | | | | cycle of pain and associated emotional symptoms. |
| several studies that validate the reality of | | | | It is the goal of cognitive-behavioral therapy to |
| fibromyalgia as a disorder affecting the brain's | | | | assist the patient in coming to terms with his |
| response to muscular and neuropathic pain. | | | | disorder and making plans to manage it. This is |
| Hopefully, future studies will lead to new | | | | accomplished through acceptance and teaching the |
| treatment options. | | | | patient positive ways of thinking about his |
| Currently, treatment options consist of the use of | | | | condition and multiple ways of treating it. |
| a multidisciplinary approach. Medication | | | | |