Fibromyalgia and tender points

What are tender points?
Tender points are pain points or localized areas of tenderness around joints, but not the joints themselves. These tender points hurt when pressed with a finger.

Tender points are often not deep areas of pain. Instead, they are superficial areas seemingly under the surface of the skin, such as the area over the elbow or shoulder.

Are tender points large areas of pain?
No. The actual size of the point of most tenderness is usually very small, about the size of a penny. These areas are much more sensitive than other nearby areas. In fact, pressure on one of the tender points with a finger will cause pain that makes the person flinch or pull back. Tender points are scattered over the neck, back, chest, elbows, hips, buttocks, and knees.

What causes tender points?
The cause of these pressure points is not known. Even though it would seem these areas might be inflamed, researchers have not found particular signs of inflammation when examining the tissue. What is known is that the locations of tender points are not random. They occur in predictable places on the body. That means many people with fibromyalgia experience similar symptoms with tender points.

 

Can my doctor diagnose fibromyalgia from the tender points?
Your doctor can test the painful tender points during an examination.Yet even with tender points, you need to tell your doctor about the exact pain you feel in those areas. You also need to tell the doctor about your other symptoms of fibromyalgia, such as deep muscle pain, fatigue, sleep problems, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and more.

When a doctor tests tender points for pain, he or she will also check “control” points or other non-tender points on your body to make sure you don’t react to these as well.

For a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, the symptom of widespread pain must have been present for three months.

Is there a prescription medication that eases the pain of tender points?
Pain management for tender points with fibromyalgia involves a multifaceted treatment program that employs both conventional and alternative therapies. While the reason is not entirely clear, fibromyalgia pain and fatigue sometimes respond to low doses of antidepressants. However, the treatment for fibromyalgia and tender points involves medications, daily stress management, exercise, hydrotherapy using heat and ice, and rest. Other remedies for symptoms may also be used.

What at-home treatments might help in managing tender point pain?
Alternative treatments or home remedies are important in managing fibromyalgia and the pain of tender points. As an example, therapeutic massage can manipulate the muscles and soft tissues of the body to help ease pain, muscle tension, spasms, and stress.

Twice daily moist heat applications are also helpful in easing the deep muscle pain and stiffness. To benefit from moist heat, you can use a moist heating pad, warm shower, or a heat “cozy” that you warm in the microwave. You can also relax in a Jacuzzi.

With fibromyalgia, it’s extremely important to manage your schedule and to control your level of stress. Be sure to block time each day to rest and relax. Avoid making too many commitments that can increase stress and fatigue. In addition, you can do relaxation exercises such as guided imagery, deep-breathing exercises, or the relaxation response to manage how you respond to stress.

Staying on a regular bedtime routine is also important. Doing so allows your body to rest and repair itself. In addition, regular exercise is vital to managing the pain, depression, and other symptoms of fibromyalgia.

A number of factors can make fibromyalgia symptoms worse. They include:

• Anxiety
• Changes in weather — for example, cold or humidity
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Hormonal fluctuations such as PMS
• Infections
• Lack of sleep or restless sleep
• Periods of emotional stress
• Physical exhaustion
• Sedentary lifestyle

Fibromyalgia and Fatigue

Persistent and chronic fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia, second only to the deep muscle pain and body aches. But unlike normal fatigue, the feelings of fatigue, weakness, and exhaustion that come with fibromyalgia can often lead to unending social isolation, even depression.

What Is Fatigue With Fibromyalgia?
Fatigue with fibromyalgia is described as crippling, exhausting, and flu-like. You may experience fatigue on arising, even after hours of bed rest. And many people with fibromyalgia have disturbances in deep-level or restful sleep, so the fatigue they feel is not easy to treat.

The fatigue with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) often coincides with mood disturbances, anxiety, or depression. People with fibromyalgia may describe their sleep as unrefreshing or light. Some people with fibromyalgia have pain and achiness around the joints in the neck, shoulder, back, and hips. This makes it even more difficult to sleep and worsens their daytime feelings of sleepiness and fatigue.

Experts theorize that there are similarities between fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, which is a condition primarily characterized by ongoing, debilitating fatigue. Often, people with fibromyalgia describe the fatigue they feel as “brain fatigue.” They report a total loss of energy and difficulty concentrating, a condition called “fibro fog.”

Fibromyalgia can cause signs and feelings similar to what people experience with osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis. But unlike the localized pain with bursitis or tendinitis, the feelings of pain and stiffness with fibromyalgia are widespread.

 

Do Daytime Naps Help Fatigue With Fibromyalgia?
On good days, the fatigue with fibromyalgia may be tolerable with daytime napping. However, on bad days, when fibromyalgia symptoms flare, dealing with fatigue can be quite difficult for both individuals with fibromyalgia and their loved ones. Even multiple rest periods throughout the day may fail to provide relief from the chronic achiness, fatigue, and exhaustion.

Can I Continue to Work With Fibromyalgia and Fatigue?
Some people with fibromyalgia say they experience great stress on the job. Some say they fear they may be let go and be replaced by healthier, more qualified workers. Others are concerned because they are not able to perform the way they used to. Employers also report concern over the output of chronically ill patients. They cite reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, poor work quality, and increased workplace accidents. But if you stay mentally and physically able to handle your job responsibilities, you can continue to be a productive employee, even with fibromyalgia and fatigue.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia may wax and wane over time. You may, however, continue to experience muscle pain and fatigue. That doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do. Here are actions you can take to help keep fatigue at bay:

• If your employer will allow it, put a cot in your office or workroom. Then allow yourself to take rest periods throughout the day, especially when symptoms flare and you are fatigued.
• Try to allow more time during the day to complete your responsibilities.
• Budget your time carefully to avoid procrastinating. Procrastination can increase your stress level when deadlines come around.
• Make daily “To Do” lists to remind yourself of the responsibilities you need to complete.
• Limit outside commitments on work days.
• Ask for help from coworkers when pain and fatigue are overwhelming. Pay them back with your assistance on days you feel better.
• Take periodic breaks to avoid getting overly tired or stressed during busy workdays.
• If appropriate. listen to music during your workday to help keep your stress levels minimal.

What is Fibromyalgia and it’s symptoms

Fibromyalgia Overview

Fibromyalgia syndrome affects the muscles and soft tissue. Symptoms include chronic muscle pain, fatigue, sleep problems, and painful tender points or trigger points, which can be relieved through medications, lifestyle changes and stress management.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

Symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

• Chronic muscle pain, muscle spasms, or tightness
• Moderate or severe fatigue and decreased energy
• Insomnia or waking up feeling just as tired as when you went to sleep
• Stiffness upon waking or after staying in one position for too long
• Difficulty remembering, concentrating, and performing simple mental tasks (“fibro fog”)
• Abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, and constipation alternating with diarrhea (irritable bowel syndrome)
• Tension or migraine headaches
• Jaw and facial tenderness
• Sensitivity to one or more of the following: odors, noise, bright lights, medications, certain foods, and cold
• Feeling anxious or depressed
• Numbness or tingling in the face, arms, hands, legs, or feet
• Increase in urinary urgency or frequency (irritable bladder)
• Reduced tolerance for exercise and muscle pain after exercise
• A feeling of swelling (without actual swelling) in the hands and feet

  Fibromyalgia symptoms may intensify depending on the time of day — morning, late afternoon, and evening tend to be the worst times. Symptoms may also get worse with fatigue, tension, inactivity, changes in the weather, cold or drafty conditions, overexertion, hormonal fluctuations (such as just before your period or during menopause), stress, depression, or other emotional factors.

If the condition is not diagnosed and treated early, symptoms can go on indefinitely, or they may disappear for months and then recur.

Why Are Nitric Oxide Levels Important?

Nitric Oxide was first discovered by Dr. Robert Furchgott in 1980 as a vasodilating substance produced by the cells lining our blood vessels, or endothelial cells.
Dr. Furchgott was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1998 along with 2 other scientists for the discovery of the critical cardiovascular role of nitric oxide.  The American Heart Association noted in an interview that “the discovery of nitric oxide and its function is one of the most important in the history of cardiovascular medicine.”

Nitric Oxide is a signaling molecule.  When it’s created and released, this gas easily and quickly penetrates nearby membranes and cells, sending its signals.  In less than a second, NO(nitric oxide) signals arteries to relax and expand, immune cells to kill bacterial and cancer cells, and brain cells to communicate with each other.

When we are young and healthy, our artery cells produce NO through L-arginine efficiently.  People over 40 years of age probably don’t create enough NO  and it creates 50% loss in endothelial function in normal healthy adults who have no other cardiovascular risk except being over 40.  Testing your nitric oxide levels are available now and supplementation using L-arginine, NEO 40 daily product and/or Organic Greens & Reds can boost nitric oxide levels in the body.  Keeping adequate levels of nitric oxide levels will prevent high blood pressure, keep arteries young and flexible, prevent slow or reverse buildup of artery-clogging arterial plaques, help stop the formation of artery-clogging blood clots and reduce inflammation.  Nitric Oxide has also been linked to improving sexual function in both men and women, reduce risk of diabetes and conditions related to diabetes such as foot and leg ulcers, blindness and amputations.  As well as swelling and pain of arthritis, inflammation of ashthma, protect bones from osteoporosis, assist the immune system in killing bacteria.