Fibromyalgia & Polymyalgia Rheumatica are both conditions that patients present with at The Osteopathy Centre.
This article will break down the characteristics of each condition, including their diagnosis and treatment methods so you can be better informed on how to tell the difference between these two conditions.
What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia can strike individuals of any age and is known for causing chronic, widespread pervasive pain.
This pervasive pain is primarily due to central centralisation – a phenomenon where their nervous system excessively heightens and misinterprets sensory information. This heightened response can result in widespread pain even from normally non-painful stimuli.
What is polymyalgia rheumatica?
Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disease that affects your muscles, and it’s something one usually see in people over 50 years old. It’s causes are not entirely understood but research suggests it to be an autoimmune condition. A situation when your immune system attacks aspects of your own body.
This disease doesn’t cause widespread pain as fibromyalgia does. Instead, it is expressed as pain and stiffness most frequently of the shoulder & pelvic areas.
How can you tell the difference between the two?
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is recognised by persistent, all-encompassing pain that lasts for at least three months, with doctors assessing 18 specific tender points on the body to diagnose it.
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In addition to pain, fibromyalgia brings along other problems such as:
- fatigue and feeling tired all the time
- having a hard time thinking clearly and remembering things, known as “fibro fog” or “brain fog”
- not sleeping well and finding it tough to fall asleep
- mood disturbances such as depression or anxiety.
Polymyalgia
The primary symptoms of polymyalgia are severe stiffness and pain in the muscles of the neck, shoulder and hip areas. Inflammation within the muscles surrounding these areas induces the characteristic muscle pain and stiffness and it can significantly restrict movement in these areas, especially after periods of immobility. It is also possible to feel pain or stiffness extending into your wrists, elbows, or knees.
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People with this condition also may experience flu-like symptoms, including fever, weakness and weight loss. Unlike fibromyalgia’s persistent nature, this discomfort typically eases within an hour or two but may reoccur.
Approximately 15% of sufferers develop a potentially dangerous condition called giant cell arteritis – an inflammation of the arteries. Symptoms such as headaches and blurred vision could indicate giant cell arteritis.
Is polymyalgia rheumatica worse than fibromyalgia?
Neither fibromyalgia or polymyalgia rheumatica is necessarily worse or tougher to deal with. Each one comes with its own set of challenges that the sufferer will have to contend with.
Think of fibromyalgia like a constant, uninvited guest that just won’t leave. It’s persistent pain can feel overwhelming and exhausting becoming harder to manage as time goes on.
On the other hand because of the intense stiffness and pain, polymyalgia rheumatica can limit what you can do. The silver lining however is that this condition might recede giving one respite from the pain
Diagnosing fibromyalgia & polymyalgia rheumatica
Diagnosing fibromyalgia or polymyalgia rheumatica can be hard as neither condition has a single test to confirm whether you have it or not.
For both conditions, your physician will look at your medical history and your symptoms and do a physical exam. They will probably also conduct blood tests and possibly scans.
For polymyalgia rheumatica, the doctor will be looking for signs of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein and the sedimentation rate. Another clue is how you respond to a specific type of anti-inflammatory medicine called glucocorticoids.
For fibromyalgia, the doctor will be ruling out other conditions that have similar symptoms, and will be particularly keen to understand your experience – where you feel pain, whether it changes or moves around, and any other symptoms that you may experience.
Treatment approaches for fibromyalgia & polymyalgia rheumatica
In the management of pain related to both fibromyalgia and polymyalgia rheumatica, a holistic, multidisciplinary strategy is often the best approach.
Polymyalgia
Treatment for polymyalgia is targeted at relieving inflammation with corticosteroids commonly used. These are strong anti-inflammatory drugs that can quickly reduce pain and stiffness. Finding the right dose can be hard as your symptoms need to be managed without causing other side effects from the medication.
Alongside medication, staying active with exercises and working with a physical therapist such as Alex at The Osteopathy Centre can help maintain your function and aid pain management.
Polymyalgia rheumatica might not last forever. In fact, it’s possible for it to go away after a few years.
Fibromyalgia
Treating fibromyalgia involves a multi-disciplinary approach that targets the broader aspects of the condition itself. It involves a holistic approach to training your body to avoid fibromyalgia triggers and respond to these flare-ups.
Retraining your pain
Chronic pain can be affected by how we think and feel, including whether we’re feeling stressed, anxious or even depressed.
Relaxation techniques can help both physically and mentally affecting how we deal with pain. Tools such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and Meditation can help one to recognise when we’re getting stressed and help us to relax, so the pain feels less intense, or as emotionally distressing.
Exercise & physical therapy
Moving when you’re in pain might seem counterintuitive, but research shows that exercises to make your muscles stronger and more supple can help lessen pain for people with fibromyalgia. It can also increase mood, boost energy, and help you get better sleep!
Becoming more active doesn’t mean that you have to do formal exercise, any sort of movement or physical activity can help. Start slowly and increase the what you are doing bit by bit. This way, you are less likely to aggravate your symptoms.
If you keep doing these exercises, you might not only feel less pain but also feel better overall and capable of greater achievements.
Medications
While incorporating medication into your overall pain management strategy is beneficial, it’s crucial to view it as one component among many. Medications are tools that support your participation in other effective strategies for managing pain, such as educational resources, lifestyle changes, and psychological support. Consulting with your healthcare provider is the best way to determine the most appropriate medications for your unique circumstances.
More information
At The Osteopathy Centre, I aim to help you handle your symptoms better. Osteopathic treatment alongside simple guidelines and tips to help you understand your fibromyalgia & polymyalgia rheumatica will hopefully help you to deal with the variety of symptoms that you might be experiencing.
I hope that I can help you to feel great every day even when fibromyalgia or polymyalgia rheumatica are a part of your life.
If your back goes out more often than you do or your Vagus nerve has wandered off, Call Alex Lubel BSC Hons, Registered Osteopath in London at The Osteopathy Centre.