Is There A Link Between Ptsd And Fibromyalgia

[Iam]

My fibromyalgia like symptoms (never formally dx with FM, but dr has suggested I have it) flared up extensively during my last EMDR session and have continued for over a week now. I have to wonder if all of the body stress caused by PTSD actually causes FM. Does anyone else here have it and do you think it's connected to PTSD?

 

[purple butterfly]

In my experience: My 24 year old daughter has had fibromyalgia / chronic fatigue since she was about 13. She also has had depression and multiple food and chemical sensitivities. Added to this she is profoundly deaf. We believe this is a result of significant stressors in her life, including family stressors, an alcoholic father who died about 30 months ago from alcohol related cancer.
In the last few months I have been diagnosed with PTSD. The issues I have mentioned are a few of many but I believe there is a direct connection between Fibromyalgia and PTSD: if for no other reason than they are a result of significant stressors in our life. As a family our stressors have been huge but right now I am not in a place to discuss them in detail.

 

[TLight]

I've had fibro/cfs for almost 19 years now. Definately a link. To me, it's like the pain has manifested in my body because I can't express elsewhere. Then the fatigue.......oh, the fatigue, saps the life right out of you. Well, chronic stress changes the brain profoundly and the nervous system...........It just fried the life out of me, literally.

 

[Iam]

(((HUGS))) Tlight...big ones!
(((HUGS))) Purple Butterfly. I am sorry that your family had to go thru so much.

I'm glad you found the forum. I think I have shared with you before, but take your time and read the articles here. There is so much good information that you will find helpful. Share as you are able. It will be tough, but really does help in lessening the symptoms of PTSD. Well, I should qualify that....your symptoms will initially increase and possibly quite drastically. Even reading other's posts can do that. The exposure is necessary though to desensitize us and it truly is worth it.

We had to put one of our dogs down yesterday and I woke up hurting so badly this am. Stress seems to go straight to the fascia for me. I find stretching really helps. I went thru 6 months of physical therapy for spinal stenosis in my low back and neck. It was thought initially that is what caused not only the low back and neck pain, but also all the horrible muscle pain throughout my body. I am sure that it contributed to the muscles hurting, but now I know that it is the stress of PTSD that I have had all my life. Though FM has been suggested by the doctors, I do believe that the root cause, even if FM, is PTSD. Love all the acronyms? LOL

BTW, the physical therapy really helped me. I had tried PT, Chiropractic and massage before to no avail. This was different though. Very intensive. I went 3 times a week for 1-2 hours for 6 months. I have to admit that I had an incredible PT though. It's a family business, they are Christians and use their practice as a ministry. In keeping with that, they definitely spend more time with their patients which I am sure makes a difference. His techniques are a little different too.

All that to say, that you might want to suggest intensive PT to your daughter. My experience is that people with FM don't want to exercise because it makes the pain worse. Doing PT prevents that because they take you at it so slowly. It about drove me nuts because I am a "jump in with both feet" type of person, but boy was it worth the time and money put into it.

 

[Butterflywings]

No I don't think PTSD causes fibromyalgia. I never had PTSD until I was an adult. My FM started when I was 15. I do believe very strongly though that PTSD can make fibromyalgia much worse. FM is more than likely a genetic condition according to most recent research.

 

[Dee Morris]

There IS shown to be a link between fibromyalgia and PTSD but I don't believe that ONLY people with PTSD have fibromyalgia. Correlation does not equal causation.

 

[Butterflywings]

I see it as PTSD can be a trigger for the underlying fibromyalgia, same way that trauma can trigger underlying bipolar or schizophrenia or numerous other underlying physical and mental health problems.

 

[Maggiemay]

There's a link between depression and fibromyalgia... I have it and have PTSD as one of ny diagnoses...

 

[Barberian]

My 2 copper.

Fibro/CFS has often been found as a comorbid* companion with PTSD as have a lot of other medical conditions. If the mind has run off the tracks, it's not uncommon for the body to do so as well. Simply Google the two terms together, or (PTSD and comorbid) and see what else pops up.. Is there a DIRECT link as, does PTSD cause the Fibro/CFS? No.If you were susceptible to develop Fibro/CFS to begin with, you will probably be a lot more likely to develop it than if you didn't have PTSD/anxiety/depression/etc. I'll leave it to the jury as to whether or not Fibro can cause PTSD, as Fibro can be very trying on the soul.

I will testify that stress does make my Fibro worse/flare regardless of the source of stress - PTSD, anxiety,depression, improper diet, poor or lack of sleep, life.

*The additional disorder may also be a behavioral or mental disorder.In medicine, the term "comorbid" can be either medical condition(s) existing simultaneously but independently with another condition; Source: Wikipedia.

Links
Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Medical comorbidity of full and partial posttraumatic stress disorder in US adults: results from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

Chronic Pain Condition Seen in Half of Veterans With PTSD

Fibromyalgia
Excerpt from long page - Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or chronic stress may play a strong role in the development of fibromyalgia in some patients. PTSD, an anxiety disorder, is a reaction to a specific traumatic event. Some evidence indicates that PTSD actually causes changes in the brain, possibly from long-term overexposure to stress hormones.

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The list of web pages goes on forever. These were a quick few, not selected for any reason other than they were easy to find and covered the topic addressed in the OP.

 

[shimmerz]

To me it is a form of conversion disorder. Very much like @TLight mentioned. I do not feel pain due to an operation as a newborn so don't experience pain but my body reacts as if it is in pain. This is not something I have actually researched but because my T diagnosed me with conversion disorder 5 or so years ago and mentioned that although I do not feel pain, to look at my somatic reactions my body was reacting as if it was in pain that is was a form of conversion.

 

[Butterflywings]

Sorry there is just too much evidence that FM is a nerve conduction and auto immune disease (ie NOT in the brain) for it to be a conversion disorder. They've confirmed that the nerves of those with FM react differently to those without it. If it were a conversion disorder this reaction would be in the brain not in the distal nerves themselves.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

My daughter has PTSD and Fibromyalga. I think the main link between the two are tons of stress. I really do not know. I have PTSD and that is all. But I have not had the stresses in my life that my daughter has.

I wish you well on your research.