What causes fibromyalgia?

Chronic fatigue syndrome and its painful cousin fibromyalgia represent an energy crisis where the body is spending more energy than it is able to make. When this occurs, the person "blows a fuse" called the hypothalamus - a major control center in the brain which regulates sleep, hormonal function, temperature, and other critical functions. Decreased energy in the muscles also results in chronic muscle shortening and pain (think writer’s cramp or even rigor mortis).

While there are many theories on what causes fibromyalgia, the truth remains that scientists do not know.  For many years it was thought that the disease was caused by a disorder of the muscles or was a psychological problem.  Some researchers believe that this mystery syndrome may have a genetic disposition as it can run in families.  The most recent research suggests that the muscles themselves are more likely not the source of the pain, but that the pain may be a response to changes in the brain.  All of these explanations remain uncertain, but research is continuing.

No single theory seems to explain all of the problems in fibromyalgia.  Whatever the cause, the vicious cycle of pain and disturbed sleep leads to less activity and depression, then to more pain.  This pain cycle creates a situation that can become disabling and incapacitating for months and possibly years unless the proper treatment is administered to control the symptoms.  While there is no cure, the symptoms can be successfully treated.

Fibromyalgia is one of many functional symptom syndromes, composed of medically unexplained symptoms, which are “caused” by dysfunction involving the mind/brain—body connection.

To explain the unexplainable and cause, look at the terms used here and then “see the big picture.”

LOOK AT TERMS

• Functional refers to how the body works.

• Symptoms of fibromyalgia include chronic widespread pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances.

• Symptom Syndromes are collections of medically unexplained symptoms. They are also known as functional somatic syndromes and chronic multisymptom illnesses. Nearly every specialty defines at least one syndrome. Examples include RHEUMATOLOGY (fibromyalgia), UROLOGY (interstitial cystitis/painful bladder and chronic prostatitis/painful prostate), and GASTROENTEROLOGY (irritable bowel syndrome).

• Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) cannot be explained by medical tests, such as x-rays, endoscopies, and blood tests, because they are caused by dysfunction.

• Dysfunction is disturbance or “malfunction” of how the body works.

• Mind/Brain-Body Connection refers to how the mind/brain and body communicate and talk with one another.

SEE THE BIG PICTURE
MUS and symptom syndromes frequently overlap with one another and are commonly associated with and often attributed to stress, depression, anxiety, and/or panic. Medical and scientific research is showing how the mind/brain and body communicate and both how and why symptoms are generated. One of the most important discoveries is that the "central" mind/brain can become "sensitized" to "peripheral" body pain and symptom signals. So these symptom syndromes are now being called, central sensitivity syndromes.

A new book, Still Hurting? FIND HEALTH!, written by this author with Thomas L Hudson, MDiv JD, (StillHurtingFINDHEALTH.com), proposes a new unifying and holistic medical model of medically unexplained symptoms and their related symptom syndromes as chronic disease, explains both how and why they occur, and shows what people can do to help themselves and work effectively with their caregivers.

DISEASE IS DYSFUNCTION, AND SYMPTOMS ARE THE EXPRESSION. The cause of medically unexplained symptoms and pain can be understood as disease/dysfunction, regardless of whether the symptoms are widespread (e.g., the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia) or localized to a specific area of the body (e.g., the abdominal pain and bowel dysfunction of irritable bowel syndrome). 

Although the cause is unknown, some researchers think fibromyalgia may be the result of a genetic tendency, therefore, it may be passed on from generation to generation. When a person who has this tendency is exposed to certain emotional or physical stressors (like in an illness), there is a change in their body’s response to stress. This can result in a higher sensitivity of the entire body to pain. Scientists theorize that one of these body changes is a low level of a hormone, CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone), resulting in higher sensitivity to pain and more fatigue, including the fatigue experienced after exercise.

This hypersensitivity to pain may in part be from low levels of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain associated with a calming, anxiety reducing reaction. Lower levels of serotonin cause a lower pain threshold. The end result may be the chronic widespread pain of fibromyalgia.

Find out more about this book: Unofficial Guide to Impotence

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Healthcare providers do not know exactly what causes fibromyalgia. Problems with chemicals that send pain messages to and from the brain are thought to cause fibromyalgia. It may also be caused or triggered by any of the following:

• changes in hormones
• physical injury, such as in surgery or accidents
• intense emotional trauma from sexual, physical or emotional abuse