{"id":159,"date":"2016-03-06T16:26:19","date_gmt":"2016-03-06T16:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwithfibromyalgia.net\/?p=159"},"modified":"2017-07-26T15:42:05","modified_gmt":"2017-07-26T15:42:05","slug":"not-just-joints-fibromyalgia-and-sciatica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fibromyalgiacause.com\/not-just-joints-fibromyalgia-and-sciatica\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Just Joints: Fibromyalgia and Sciatica"},"content":{"rendered":"
Fibromyalgia is a pain in the… Well, it’s a pain in the everything. A chronic condition, fibromyalgia causes pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles throughout the entire body.<\/p>\n
It also causes vague, widespread pain in areas of various internal organs (a fibromyalgia sufferer may complain of unexplained chest or abdominal pain, for instance).<\/p>\n
Another symptom of fibromyalgia is extreme, chronic fatigue. During a fibromyalgia flare up, some patients struggle to even get out of bed.<\/p>\n
They may experience headaches or extreme sensitivity to lights, noise, scents or touch. Both men and women with fibromyalgia may experience problems with their sex drive, with the former often experiencing erectile dysfunction and the latter suffering with pain in the vaginal area.<\/p>\n
Fibromyalgia patients of both sexes are more likely to be diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome or other gastrointestinal ailments.<\/p>\n
Doctors simply aren’t sure what kicks off fibromyalgia in some people’s bodies or what causes it to flare up once the condition is there. One common theory is that fibromyalgia—although very real in its physical symptoms—may be caused by emotional trauma (such as abuse or the loss of a loved one).<\/p>\n
Researchers think that people who suffer from fibromyalgia have central nervous systems that process information in a way that results in overstimulation and oversensitivity in everything from joint sensation to the way sufferers experience sights and sounds. This results in pain and discomfort both inside and out.<\/p>\n
One of the common issues that fibromyalgia patients experience is sciatica, also known as piriformis syndrome.<\/p>\n
This is caused when the spinal canal narrows (either due to bone spurs or a slipped disc) and squeezes nerves in the lower or lumbar area of a person’s back.<\/p>\n
The result of this nerve impingement is typically pain in the gluteal area. The pain in the buttocks is typically one-sided and may shoot down the leg on that side. Some people describe the pain as a searing or tingling pain (as opposed to an aching pain).<\/p>\n
Sciatica often gets worse while sitting—especially for long periods of time. People who experience sciatica may be alarmed at noticing numbness or weakness in the affected leg or foot.<\/p>\n
They may have difficulty moving it and may have trouble standing up or walking. The pain may be mild and random or it may be extreme and constant.<\/p>\n