Fibromyalgia, which is one of the chronic painful conditions, reveals itself with the complaint of “I’m very tired”. This disorder, which seriously impairs the quality of daily life, is mostly seen in late and middle-aged women. Fibromyalgia, the cause of which has not been fully revealed yet, is such a difficult disease to treat. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder and serotonin deficiency in the body is one of the causes of many complaints. Opinions abound as to why. These patients seek solutions for their problems by applying to doctors in different disciplines, but they are disappointed every time. The term “muscle rheumatism” is also used for this disease among the people.
Fibromyalgia patients are generally “frustrated” patients. The pain is mostly concentrated in the shoulder and hip regions. 30% of patients have symptoms of depression. They complain that they have pain all over, that they cannot rest, and that their sleep is irregular. In this disorder: If the complaints lasted more than 3 months;
1-Sleep disorders that wake up in the morning unrest. It is present in 60% of patients.
2- There is an increase in pain by pressing in approximately 11 of 18 known sensitive points on the body. These sensitive points constitute the most important evidence available at the doctor’s examination.
3-Morning stiffness 70%. Muscle spasms and stiffness (nodules) have occurred in some parts of their body. Diagnosis is made according to these criteria.
Headaches are common in these patients, and some stimuli that do not normally cause pain, such as cold and sadness, trigger pain in these patients.
The way to diagnose this disease is to listen to the patient very carefully and in detail, and the presence of tenderness in 11 of the 18 known points. Laboratory tests are meaningless and may be useful in distinguishing other suspicious conditions.
Treatment:
It should be known that we do not have a formula that we can say will be beneficial if we apply the following treatment to these patients. Treatment varies from patient to patient. However, I would like to point out our recommendations, with rough lines, that we have obtained results in our patients.
We definitely recommend an antidepressant to these patients once (at least 6 months), which, in our opinion, means 50% of the treatment. In the other dimension of the treatment, there are many options and we want the patients to choose the most suitable one among them. If we briefly describe these options; Stretching exercises or combined hot + cold spray applications. Physical Therapy, Acupuncture, Dry needling or LASER needles. Intramuscular OZONE and or combined intravenous systemic OZONE therapy. Ozone sauna is extremely beneficial. Aerobics…. like. In addition to these, staying away from stress, not staying still, will disrupt the sleep in the evening; Watching TV, eating late, drinking too much tea and coffee, and staying away from arguments are among our recommendations. The spouses of these patients also have important responsibilities. They should keep their spouses pleasant, avoid arguments and accusations, and in short, they should help the treatment by being understanding. Otherwise, the state of being constantly unhappy, tired and exhausted will harm everyone. Stay well.
