Muscle pain and fatigue may seem normal for people who are always on the go, and for people whose jobs require hard labor. But there are just times when you need to know when the pain is too much or the fatigue is just too severe. For all you know, it could already be fibromyalgia and you're just ignoring it.

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia used to be called fibrositis. A rough approximate of 3.7 million Americans 18 years old and above have this very painful condition, with 90% of reported fibromyalgia cases in the United States occurring in women.

Fibromyalgia is a very common rheumatic disease; it affects the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Being a rheumatic disorder, this condition manifests the same effects as rheumatism, but does not incur long-lasting damage. The symptoms, though, may persist for months or even stretch to years.

What causes fibromyalgia?

Although the exact causes of this painful musculoskeletal condition have not yet been established, it is said that fibromyalgia can be triggered by trauma. Some reported triggers include car accidents, viral infections, or a recent operation. There have been instances, though, where the sufferer's fibromyalgia did not have any obvious trigger.

Other studies show that a serotonin deficiency in the brain may be causing fibromyalgia. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that modulates anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep, sexuality, appetite, and other things. If there is an imbalance with the brain's chemical message relaying system, it may deviate the way the brain processes pain sensations. This can cause slight pain to be magnified ten times over. Thus, sleep disruption and psychological disorders that may disrupt the amount of serotonin in the brain may cause fibromyalgia.

How can you tell if you have fibromyalgia?

Pain felt by people who suffer from fibromyalgia can be spread throughout the body. It can be so severe that it can be debilitating, not only physically, but also socially.

The fibromyalgic pain is located at specific points in the body. Some of the usually reported sore points are at the:

outer side of the elbows

top of the shoulders (back)

upper part of the chest (front)

inner side of the knee.

base of the skull beside the spinal column

base of the neck (back)

over the shoulder blade

top part of the buttocks

outside of the hip (back)

These tender points appear bilaterally. And to fully diagnose that one has fibromyalgia, a person must be experiencing severe pain in 9 tender points in the body.

Other symptoms of fibromyalgia may include headache, facial pain, sleep disturbance, irritable bowels, increased frequency of urination, pins & needles in the hands and feet, and increased sensitivity to smell, noise, and light.

How is fibromyalgia treated?

Various medications can be used to cure fibromyalgia. Prescription pain killers like Tramadol help reduce the discomfort of this condition, muscle relaxants like Cyclobenzaprine can relieve the muscle pain associated with the disease, low-doses of antidepressants can help reduce the sleep disturbances that could be causing the fibromyalgia. There are also other anti-psychotic medications that can help with the serotonin deficiency that could be causing the disorder.

Physical therapy and massage therapy with a physical therapist can help relieve the discomfort of the condition and regain mobility on the tender areas. Cognitive behavioral therapies with a psychologist can help fibromyalgia sufferers cope with the disease and improve their quality of life.

Be mindful of your body and don't shrug off muscle pain and fatigue. If it persists for more than a few days or if it keeps repeating over the span of 3 months, see a doctor. For all you know, you could already have fibromyalgia.