What Causes Fibromyalgia?

In this video from Holtorf Medical Center shared in May 2011, Dr. Kent Holtorf briefly explains what fibromyalgia is and what the possible causes of the condition are.

Fibromyalgia pain linked to muscle metabolites can be reduced by exercise. Read more here. 

Dr. Holtoft lists some of the symptoms fibromyalgia patients will suffer from, including sleep disorders, muscle pain, lowered immune systems and hormone deficiencies which are often not picked up on in blood tests.

Fibromyalgia may cause doctors to overestimate the severity of spondyloarthritis. Find out more. 

Fibromyalgia News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

7 comments

  1. As a person who was a dancer on stage for 9 years and then did heavy manual labor and weight trained, I have to say that every time some medical professional tells me to exercise more… I KNOW that I’m not being heard! Chronic Fatigue has robbed me of one of the things I enjoyed most in life, my own adrenaline! The stages of FMS need to be taken into consideration before tossing us all into the same bag. Now, for me simply having to walk up a wheelchair ramp feels like I’m trying to push a boulder in soft sand! I also have X-rays to prove the severity of the OA in my spine, ONE of the problems which was mentioned in the article. When bone spurs press on nerves you can’t overestimate the severity!

    • wendy honor says:

      I keep telling the consultant about the back pain and it shoots across my lower back like a knife going in and out I can’t move the pain is so intense it takes my breath away I have asked instead of chucking more tablets at me could they not try cortisone injections or ones I had a few years ago that used to work for a few months was facet joint nerve block injections in my lower spine the answer I got was I will not get funding to give these injections for fibremyalgia surely if they worked would work out cheaper and better for me than the 340mg of morhinestone plus all the other tablets I’m on he then signed me off and said I need to see a psychiatrist for my depression this consultant was at our hospitals pain management clinic I give up

      • Pam says:

        Wendy, I already suffer from depression and PTSD from childhood,and some SSRI’s DO help with nerve pain which sounds like what you describe. I take 60 mg of Cymbalta and it helps. If you think you’re have a sciatic nerve issue,try this old trick, put a shoe or sneaker on the painful side and a sipper or barefoot on the other. Usually works in a day or two! For me the shots did nothing. And the arthritis is so severe that there are times when even 30mg or more of morphine don’t help.that’s when I try adding 600mg of Advil and most times it does the trick. If you want to find me and loads of others here’s the Facebook link to my soon to be clothing for people in chronic pain.tinyurl.com/jyv26e2

  2. Shy says:

    As a person who has had Chronic Fatigue for 30 years and Fibro for 27 years I can say I was extremely fortunate finding great physicians who knew exactly what I had. Extremely. Also, I have tried most everything. There is NO cure all. Try and see what works for you! Here is a list of what has worked best for me after 30 years of trying everything. 1.) Daily warm salt (epsom salt) water therapy or hot bath with epsom salts and walking when I can. Got a dog to force me to walk dog to go potty, plus pets increase endorphines, 2.) Sunshine 15 minuites daily (I moved to Florida for warmth and sunshine, cold kills my fibro), 3.) Wellbutrin somehow decreases my pain significantly when all other meds had horrible side effects, 4.) RESTFUL SLEEP using sound masking ocean waves (lots of free sound masking apps out there)and Lavendar oil under my nose 5.) Diet: elimiating diary and gluten I stopped my IBS. Lots of ORGANIC Green leafy veggies (kale), any beans, nuts and water. Make mainly greens, then nuts and minor amounts of fresh/frozen organic berries or bananas add ice (other fruits don’t offer nutrients) for smoothies, 6.) Essential oils such as Arnica oil from Germany and Chili pepper oil I make into a bees wax salve, by making it I control how much I get, OTC stuff does not work including pain meds and salves/ointment/patches, 8.) Nausea: Eating dried ginger (Trader Joe’s) and wearing Lavendar essential oil for nausea (have it with me all the time and super fast), 9.) Headaches and stomach aches: Essential peppermint oil on forehead and nose for headaches is super fast and few drops of peppermint oil in water to stomach issues! 10.) Pain: Cortizone shots in hips when pain is really awful, 11.) Twice a year take cortizone pack to feel human again (like when I have to be somewhere important where I have to be on such as in a wedding, speaking engagement, traveling overseas, etc. 12.) Soft loose clothing, no tags 13) Really good massage therapist, hot rock massage with intense deep pressure release (it’s painful at first, I bite my lip, but then there is a release of muscle and fascia, and then no pain at all) 14) Daily wearing back brace from Home Depot 15) HRT: Hormone Replacement Therapy with bio-identical hormones-research found people with fibro, both men and women, have lower testosterone levels. My bro has fibro and testosterone was low, he gets shots now and is SOOOO much better, 16) Funny movies, books, friends and LAUGHTER, 17) Keep your thoughts on positive things even when world is collasping around you. Sing and play happy songs, nothing sad or maudlin, 18) Post postive affirmations on sticky notes. What you think on you become, 19) DAILY gentle Yin style Yoga and meditation, 20) Good chiropractor, 21) Functional medicine Doctor who knows complementary and alternative medicine practices, 22) CBD oil (paste, salve, vape and check for quality and ask company you buy from which one they recommend for Fibro and also Chronic Fatigue), 22) For severe pain that prevents sleep I take Tramadol and when SUPER Bad I take Percocet, but only if I cannot sleep due to pain. Restful Sleep is ESSENTIAL, 23) Blue Lotus Tea (Turmeric and Black pepper proven pain relief) tastes great with Stevia and cashew (almond) milk, 24) No artificial/chemical sweetners, sugar, even honey, and replaced with organic whole Stevia. 25) OTC heat packs or ice packs whichever feels best. 26) Listen and obey your body. Rest if it says rest. When you don’t listen to him or her (body) you will regret it. Yeah, all this may seem daunting, but start a little at a time, see what seems to help. After almost 30 years with these disease I can admantly say, “It’s journey . . . with flare ups, mountains, valleys, very few plateaus, and definitely it is not a destination where you arrive and it’s all over.”

Leave a Comment