Muscle Sprains: Fibromyalgia Necessary Information

Muscle sprains really do not exist. The word sprain medically refers to an injury in the ligament of the joint of a body part. Therefore, it is important to understand that most muscle “sprains” are actually muscle strains. However, the term is commonly used by people who strain their muscles because the two terms are so similar. This is when the muscle has been over stretched and causes pain and sometimes immobility. The actual injury in a muscle sprains or strain is a tearing of the muscle. It is important to follow the icing and rest that is suggested when a muscle strain does occur. However, muscle pain can also be a sign of something more serious, especially if someone cannot remember doing something that tore the muscle. There is a condition that is called Fibromyalgia. This condition is characterized by musculoskeletal pain. The most common areas for pain are the base of the neck and spine, the back, and the ribs. The pain is most often wide spread and does result in lack of mobility and reduced activity.

Sometimes Fibromyalgia is said to be a last ditch diagnosis. It is something that doctors assign to people with unexplainable pain, but the condition does really exist. Muscle sprains or strains are common in the neck and back, but when an injury as not occurred and there is chronic pain in more than one area a well as chronic pain that does not seem to subside, that Fibromyalgia is a possibility. Fibromyalgia also has many other symptoms that should be analyzed as well. The most common are lack of sleep or sleep problems, fatigue, and a twitching or stiffness in the muscles. The most common tool for diagnosis is a tender point exam. This is an exam of eighteen points on the body. In order to be diagnosed, the person must be tender and experience pain in at least eleven of those spots. MRI, CT Scans, and blood or urine tests can be used in order to find out more information about the over all health and obtain a complete visual, but do not offer specific information regarding Fibromyalgia. This is why people think that it is non-existent. There is no real research that has found the cause of the condition, which makes it a little harder to understand as well. However, if someone thinks that they have muscle sprains in several locations or there is ongoing and chronic muscle pain, Fibromyalgia should definitely be looked into. Seeking a doctor about the problems can definitely result in answers to the mystery of where the pain is coming from.