Fibromyalgia: Pain That Society Does Not Understand
Fibromyalgia, or soft tissue rheumatism, was recognized by the World Health Organization in 1992. Today, fibromyalgia affects 4% of the population and most of them, nearly 90%, are women.
It is known as an “invisible disease,” because it affects all the soft tissues of the musculoskeletal system and is not easy to diagnose with medical tests . Fibromyalgia is not visible. It leaves no marks on the skin or produces wounds that others could see to identify it. It is a lonely, desperate pain.
The origin of this disease is currently unknown. However, we know that every year more and more people get this diagnosis. It should therefore be provided with the most universal means of prevention possible, including its biopsychosocial aspect.
So today we want to use this space of our own to provide you with some fundamental guidelines so that you can face the strength of this disease by improving your quality of life as much as possible.
Fibromyalgia: a genuine disease that cannot be seen
When a person can’t get out of bed because he feels how “burning needles” make his joints touch, he doesn’t pretend or make an excuse for not going to work. People with soft tissue rheumatism need to add social incomprehension to their own illness, and add to this the feeling that they are invisible in a world that believes only in what it sees.
The biggest problem with fibromyalgia is the controversy over whether its origin is psychological or organic. The following are the main conclusions referred to by the experts:
Possible origin of fibromyalgia
It is necessary to clarify first that there is no medical evidence to bind it as a psychiatric illness.
Some authors point out that about 47% of people with the disease also suffer from anxiety. However, it is good for us to bear in mind that this psychological dimension may be their response to the pain caused by the disease itself .
According to a study published in the journal “ Arthritis & Rheumatology ”, people with fibromyalgia experience higher sensitivity to everyday sensory irritation.
Using magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers found that when exposed to a visual stimulus, auditory stimulus, sensory or olfactory stimulus, those parts of the brain that are involved in sensory integration showed greater irritation than usual .
People with fibromyalgia also have a larger number of blood vessels in their sensory nerves, so any stimulus or change in temperature leads to severe pain.
And keep in mind that any emotional factor will increase the feeling of pain in these nerve fibers. A stressful situation therefore leads to greater irritation and pain. Feelings of pain and chronic fatigue, in turn, lead to a sense of helplessness and even depression in a person.
Thus, we fall into a relentless spiral in which a disease of organic origin expands due to a psychological factor. Thus, it is worthwhile to control this emotional dimension in order to mitigate, or at least “control,” its origin.
Psychological strategies for coping with fibromyalgia
Chronic pain is part of our social reality, of which fibromyalgia is an extreme example. Now that we know that factors such as stress or sadness increase the amount of knowledge of suffering, it is important to highlight some fundamental coping strategies that can help.
