Is Dizziness a Symptom of Fibromyalgia?

The way of fibromyalgia symptoms to appear can vary. While in some cases they can appear suddenly after triggering-event (like illness, infection, or catastrophic events), others can appear gradually over time. Widespread pain and fatigue are the major signs. How about dizziness – is it also a symptom of this disease?

It’s normal to have a whirling sensation or feeling of unsteadiness in the head at some point in lives. As long as it not last longer than usual and is not chronic, generally there is nothing to worry. But if it often comes and goes, it’s much better to see a doctor.

Actually, dizziness doesn’t have specific medical meaning. It has a board term that can vary from people to people.

But for most people, it’s thought as lightheaded or feeling of faintness without losing consciousness. This kind of dizziness can come with other symptoms such as clamminess and nausea.

Other types of dizziness include:

1. Vertigo! It is different to a condition what we call as lightheaded as mentioned before. In vertigo, you can experience the fake feeling of motion. In other words, you can have feeling of motion (such as your environment is spinning or you are spinning) but actually there no any motion.
2. Anxiety! Individuals who are depressed, afraid, worried or scared may also use the word ‘dizzy’ to express the feeling of their anxious, depressed, or frightened.
3. Disequilibrium! It is often associated with a trouble with walking. If you have it, you can feel unsteady on your feet. As a result, you can feel like that you are going to fall.

So far, it is not fully understood yet. Even there is still no specific test to diagnose it.

That’s why it is also often misidentified. However, some tests are available to help rule out other conditions and help doctor to make a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

The cause of this disease is also still debatable. Nevertheless, there is evidence that if individuals with this musculoskeletal condition tend to become more sensitive to pain. Some experts believe that this occurs due to something wrong in the perception processes of the body in responding to pain.

An interesting fact, it is much more common in women than in men. But it can affect anyone, including children.

The prognosis can vary. While there is chance for the disease to cause disability, but it usually improves over time. In general, it is not considered as serious health condition and doesn’t shorten your life.

However since it can be chronic, it’s always important to follow the treatment plan and staying as healthy as possible. There are plenty of self-care treatments you can do to cope with it!

Many people with this disease often complain about easier to get fatigue and widespread pain. Even though they get plenty of sleep, but they often awaken tired. It seems that the quality of their sleep is affected by the pain. And when your body doesn’t get adequate good sleep, fatigue can occur easily.

The pain associated with this disease is commonly characterized by a constant dull ache. It can last longer than usual, such as within 3 months or more. Widespread pain means that the pain usually occurs on specific locations of the body called tender points.

The tender points include legs, arms, back, hips, shoulders, and neck. These areas are usually hurt when you put pressure on them.

How about dizziness?

The secondary symptoms of fibromyalgia can vary. But typically, the disease comes with the major symptoms such as widespread pain and fatigue – followed with some secondary symptoms (one of them can be dizziness).

So dizziness is only of many symptoms that may occur if you have fibromyalgia. If you’re in doubt to your condition, see a physician /doctor for more advice. The following are other symptoms that may appear: