Fibromyalgia is without a doubt one of the most mysterious and yet most painful diseases out there. For decades, medical researchers and professionals have been researching for the root cause of the condition, which is characterized by widespread pain throughout the body, fatigue throughout the day, difficult sleeping at night, anxiety, and in some cases even depression.
The latest research on Fibromyalgia has yielded some surprising and unexpected results, primarily dealing with abnormalities in the nervous system. It has been found that people with fibromyalgia have peripheral neuropathy, and this seems to support that fibromyalgia is a neuropathic pain disease.
Damaging of Peripheral Nerves
This research was conducted by looking at samples in the skin of fibromyalgia patients, and then compared the samples to skin samples of people not diagnosed with the condition. It was discovered that the fibromyalgia group showed damaged peripheral sensory nerves. More studies have been concluded with the same results.
This latest research brings about the question of whether or not people who have fibromyalgia also have impaired peripheral sensory nerves. But it does reveal that there definitely is an important link between the two, and it is likely that if someone does have impaired peripheral sensory nerves, then they may be diagnosed with fibromyalgia as well.
However, there are other symptoms of fibromyalgia that are not symptoms in an impaired peripheral sensory nerve. While people with fibromyalgia will feel the burning nerve pain of impaired peripheral sensory nerves, conversely those with impaired sensory nerves may not feel the deep tissue pain of those with fibromyalgia.
This has led many medical professionals and researchers to draw the conclusion that nerve damage might not be the cause to the pain and symptoms of fibromyalgia, and that fibromyalgia might instead result from problems in the fibers of the muscles and tendons.
People with impaired peripheral sensory nerves will have widespread pain throughout their body, but research has also yielded the fact that people who have been officially diagnosed with fibromyalgia also reported having small fiber pain, also widespread throughout their body.
Therefore, diagnosing impaired peripheral sensory nerves in people who have fibromyalgia only led medical and scientific researchers to try even harder to look for a different cause, which would in turn lead to a series of different treatments. These other causes include diabetes or an immune disorder. The results showed a strong correlation between nerve fiber damage and fibromyalgia.
As a result, the question does come up about whether or not identifying the cause of impaired peripheral nerves would or would not lead to finding the cause in fibromyalgia patients, and subsequently also finding the cause of fibromyalgia and any treatments that would needed to fix that problem. Many medical researchers seem to think that we can improve the pain and symptoms of fibromyalgia if we do find the cause of impaired peripheral nerves as well.
Other medical professionals and research take a strong stance on the opposing side to this argument. Even if the science makes sense in the new research, does that really mean that we could also find different changes in treatment for people with fibromyalgia? Chances could be that nerve damage follows fibromyalgia rather than the fibromyalgia following the nerve damage. So even if the causes of impaired peripheral sensory nerves are not the answer to finding the cause to fibromyalgia, than what is?
The answer could lie in the fibers of the skin that link the sensory nerves to the blood vessels. Much of our blood is stocked up in our hands and feet when the rest of our body doesn’t need it. But when we perform physical activities or exercises, then the brain sends signals to which parts of the body need blood. The problem that can occur here is when the blood vessels are blocked from sending blood to the muscles, resulting in widespread muscle pain throughout the body and immense fatigue.
Many people who have impaired peripheral nerve damage do not feel this pain, even though people with fibromyalgia certainly do and the research has yielded a strong link between nerves and fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia can be triggered by a number of different factors, including trauma, stress or injury, but the evidence as revealed by research seems to conclude that fiber neuropathy is one of the causes.
Fiber Neuropathy
Research conducted by Albany Medical College in New York seems to support the fiber neuropathy as well. Blood vessels are important for regulating body temperature and the blood flow to the muscles during physical activity and exercise. But when these fibers constricts, it inhibits the flow of blood, and that is ultimately what causes the widespread pain in the muscles. What’s even more unique about the link between fibromyalgia and fiber neuropathy?
Patients with fibromyalgia have been revealed to have significantly altered fibers as found in samples, as opposed to people who don’t have fibromyalgia. Fiber neuropathy can also affect the way people react to different temperatures, which also supports the link between fiber neuropathy and fibromyalgia, as people with fibromyalgia usually don’t react well to extreme hot or cold temperatures either.
The evidence as gathered by research has only made it ever the more clear about the strong correlation between altered fiber neuropathy and fibromyalgia in patients. It’s also heavily likely that the immense fatigue felt by patients with fibromyalgia is due to the muscles not getting enough blood. Medical researchers are optimistic about the new information that they have discovered, but also admit that more tests will need to be conducted before they can draw any final conclusions on paper.
But for now, we can come to the conclusion that changes in the nervous system for the worst do contribute to the development of fibromyalgia in at least some shape or form. And hopefully, we will be able to find the cause of both and subsequently the appropriately needed treatment.
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