Fibromyalgia Prognosis

The fascia is the covering over muscles that isolate certain muscle fibers together so they can perform the work they are supposed to do in a group. Groups of skeletal muscle fibers encased by fascia pass by each other and provide the necessary force for locomotion of the body part. The covering, fascia, of each muscle in the group should flow freely over the muscle it is covering holding the muscle fibers together so they can do there job. You can equate this to how chicken skin is attached to the muscle (meat), but still slides easily. This is how it "should be." This is not what happens when you have fibromyalgia (FM). Our fascia loses its fluid movement, which ultimately decreases muscle function and leads to pain. The pain message is then somehow intensified as it is transmitted to the brain, or our brain misinterprets the message and responds inappropriately.

For now, treatment methods are directed at helping the peripheral tissue function as well as it can. We need to keep stretching the muscle to maintain a fluid movement between the fascia and muscle, which will improve motion. Often people complain of what they think is joint pain, when in actuality it is the loss of sufficient motion to the joint from the muscle. Other treatments are needed to address accompanying symptoms, perpetuating factors, increased sensitivity of the central nervous system, and unwanted emotional baggage.

Learning to control symptoms and working at a sound treatment plan is literally a 24 hour, 7 day a week job for all of us and varies in difficulty according to our unique being. A lot depends on the length of time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis, how many symptoms we have, and the number of co-existing conditions we juggle. The good news is that with proper treatment and identification of aggravating factors, we can take some control. This empowerment over our physical being helps us balance ourselves emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.