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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    What causes fibromyalgia?

    Related Topics
    Fibromyalgia Rheumatology
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    Dr Beau Woods

    Chiropractor

    Dr Beau Woods Chiropractor BSc. BChiro (Murdoch)Special interests; Postural correction, family care, spine related disorders, fibromyalgia & motor vehicle injuries. View Profile

    Science has yet to answer this question. It can be post-traumatic (car accident), childbirth, emotional stress. There may be a genetic link.
    Current thinking centers around a theory called central sensitization. This theory states that people with fibromyalgia have a lower threshold for pain because of increased sensitivity in the brain to pain signals. Thus the logic is to develop drugs mediate the neurotransmitters in the brain…
    Other theories include chiari malformation  and increase chord tension.
    In my experience, postural distortion and neural tension are a large factor. This can often be helped with chiropractic in particular techiques that focus on postural correction

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    Dr Carolyn Ee

    Acupuncturist, GP (General Practitioner)

    I'm a Sydney GP with a special interest in women's health especially menopause and TTC ( trying to conceive). I specialise in acupuncture, and am … View Profile

    Fibromyalgia is a frustrating and painful condition and unfortunately the causes are still not well understood. The following is taken from the National Institute of Health website on fibromyalgia, which also has good information on self care.
    http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/fibromyalgia/#cThe causes of fibromyalgia are unknown, but there are probably a number of factors involved. Many people associate the development of fibromyalgia with a physically or emotionally stressful or traumatic event, such as an automobile accident. Some connect it to repetitive injuries. Others link it to an illness. For others, fibromyalgia seems to occur spontaneously.Many researchers are examining other causes, including problems with how the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) processes pain.Some scientists speculate that a person’s genes may regulate the way his or her body processes painful stimuli. According to this theory, people with fibromyalgia may have a gene or genes that cause them to react strongly to stimuli that most people would not perceive as painful. There have already been several genes identified that occur more commonly in fibromyalgia patients, and NIAMS-supported researchers are currently looking at other possibilities.

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