What to do when our whole body hurts

Question: For two years now my whole body has been hurting, my legs, my back, my shoulders, my hands. I consulted several doctors who did tests on me and everything seems normal. They told me I have fibromyalgia, but I didn’t really understand what it was. (Isaac Karchucyk. CABA)

In 1976, fibromyalgia was called an entity whose name was derived from fiber (for connective tissue), myo (for involving various muscles) and algia (means pain). Patients described it in a simpler way: “Everything hurts.” The WHO formally recognized it as a disease in 1992.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it is a disorder characterized by the presence of intense chronic pain, persistent for several months and with specific points of pain which usually cover the cervical, lumbar, hands, knees, ankles, feet, etc.

Along with these symptoms, there are other psychological, emotional and cognitive symptoms such as insomnia or sleep that is not restful, easy fatigue, loss of concentration, attention, memory failures (“mental fibro fog”), decreased libido and a state of constant worry that revolves around the phenomenon of pain.

Originally, doctors examined 18 specific points on a person’s body to see if at least 11 of them had pain when pressed firmly, which allowed the diagnosis to be made.

Although many professionals continue to use this criterion, the new American College of Rheumatology guidelines no longer require this approach and consider the main factor necessary for diagnosis the presence of generalized pain throughout the body for at least three months.

The causes of fibromyalgia can be very varied. and many times they are not detected despite studying possible muscle injuries, immunological alterations, hormonal disorders, psychological problems or dysfunctions in the pain protective mechanisms.

In parallel, decreased levels of some neurotransmitters, mainly serotonin, have been found in the central nervous system. Another characteristic is the higher prevalence in women Since out of 10 patient cases suffering from this disorder, only one corresponds to a man.

Fibromyalgia can start after a traumatic situation of different kinds: accidents, viral infections, family conflicts, relationship conflicts, work conflicts.

The deep causes of the disorder are not known, although the most accepted hypothesis is the alteration of the so-called nociceptive system, that is, those circuits of the nervous system that produce pain in the body.

This implies a condition in which there is an increase in the intensity of the painful signal due to a hypersensitivity of the pathways responsible for receiving it and sending it to the brain, which causes stimuli that were previously not considered painful to become painfulthereby affecting the patient’s quality of life, interfering with their work and the activities they carry out.

Patients are often exhausted by their pain, with no cause found or found in laboratory or imaging studies. no satisfactory explanation. But, precisely, this lack of clear causal factors is what can most suggest the presence of fibromyalgia.

Regarding treatment, it requires the intervention of a multidisciplinary team including physiotherapists, clinician, psychologist and psychiatrist dealing with relevant medication.