As many as two-thirds of people with chronic low back pain also have fibromyalgia, when you are suffering from fibromyalgia you feel like you can’t avoid pain, which may include backache. Looking at the numbers from the other direction, up to 49 percent of people with fibromyalgia has lower back pain.
Back pain is so common among people with fibromyalgia that it was once the basis of diagnosing fibromyalgia and doctors look for this symptom while diagnosing fibromyalgia. Stiff muscles can have a profound effect on the spine. The invariable pull of tight muscles which cannot let go can not only squeeze the spine, but also pull the spine to one side or the other, causing short leg and/or scoliosis.
Musculoskeletal changes can take place in any part of the spine, causing associated pain in the neck, sciatica or lower back pain, and discomfort in the ribs or sternum (which may create breathlessness). When the spine is compressed, there may be interference with the nerves at that level, which can cause related symptoms.
I know from personal experience that if my neck is stiff, I often suffer from nausea, and that when my lower back is stiff my bladder irritation symptoms are worse. Let alone when you have back pain there’s no doubt that living with fibromyalgia is challenging enough on its own. But it may make you feel a little better to know there is an explanation for the intensity of the pain you’re going through.
People overall might find difficulty understanding your all-over fibromyalgia symptoms, they may be able to relate to chronic low back pain. Most everyone at some time or another has experienced back pain, even if not on a chronic basis. At any given time, roughly 72 percent of fibromyalgia patients have objective evidence of painful muscular knots in their low back region.
This means most people with fibro have low back pain with the added discomfort of their widespread symptoms. On the flip side, a recent study found 28 percent of women with chronic low back pain also met the criteria for fibromyalgia.
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Pathophysiology of backache
Both back pain and fibromyalgia belong to a group of disorders called central hypersensitivity syndromes. Although the cause of the two conditions is different from each other for example, back pain could be the result of damaged vertebral disk; the pain experiences of the two conditions bear some similarities.
Among them is the sense that these chronic pain conditions cause you to be on a “high alert” setting of sorts (doctors call it hyperarousal). And then, to top it off, the pain make you feel down, causing exhaustion, despair, and anxiety that make living with fibromyalgia and back pain all the more challenging. With fibromyalgia, lower back pain is easily exacerbated mostly during activities of daily living.
Pain radiate from the lower back into the SI joints, hip flexors, gluteal region and pelvic area. The pain from SI joints on the upper side on the buttocks also radiates to the lower back and even into the pelvic area is also the victim of this pain. Sitting or standing for a considerable period of time can keep these areas taut and burning.
For those people who are victims of severe fibro, even short duration of sitting can pose the same threat and should be restricted, especially with a propensity toward inflammation within the SI joints of the lower back. Any precipitating factors such as lack of center power or lack of quickness need to deal with chronic pain management techniques. Maintaining power and quickness will always be necessary to keep away from injury and focus on the more susceptible areas of the body.
One essential is getting an accurate diagnosis of your back pain. Many physicians who treat fibromyalgia can also access back pain’s possible causes. Nevertheless, ask for a opinion from pain specialist if you have any doubts about your doctor’s ability to parse out the factors contributing to your back pain and prescribe the appropriate medical treatment.
How can you manage your back pain?
If a back ache condition is involved only the prescription of pain management that is mostly the part of fibromyalgia prescription, alone is not enough for the victims of backache. Putting together a multipart pain plan is a must. This is even truer if you need specific therapy for your back.
Consider these additional ideas to create a comprehensive treatment strategy that may combine traditional and alternative approaches. You might feel as you are fighting two battles side by side when you’re struggling with low back pain and fibromyalgia.
Combination of different therapies some intended at fibromyalgia, some aimed to reduce back pain, and some are specialized at both is more likely to bring you symptom relief. Try Guaifenesin. This drug is a relatively cheap, over the counter medicine, which has no side effects.
It may require some time to turn around the symptoms of FMS, and unluckily, the process of removing the biochemical build up from the cells can be painful. Most people don’t suffer more pain than they have experienced in the past, but it can be unpleasant.
However, as time goes on, good days start to become more frequent and the pain less severe. How long it takes an individual to recover depends on how long they have had the disease. Acupuncture, biofeedback, and music therapy can help ease back pain. Talking with your team about options you’re considering will also help you avoid any interactions between alternative treatments and prescription medications.
References:
- Fibromyalgia And Back Pain by Lesley Postle via Simple Back Pain
- Fibromyalgia and Back Pain: How to Get Relief By Madeline R. Vann, MPH via Everyday Health