Muscular Disorders - Fibromyalgia Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Muscular Disorders - Fibromyalgia - Case Study Example She becomes depressed at times, which is one of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. The case also shows that she had been suffering from osteoarthritis in the past. Osteoarthritis is a joint disorder which causes pain in joints. Researches show that in some cases, osteoarthritis can lead to fibromyalgia when a pain in joints expands to related muscles. Therefore, looking at these aspects of the case, we conclude that Mrs Oliver is suffering from fibromyalgia. As Vorvick (2011) states, â€Å"one common cause of muscle aches and pain is fibromyalgia†. Substance P is a neurotransmitter, which plays the role of a pain messenger. This chemical substance is present in the brain of a person. In patients suffering from fibromyalgia, the level of substance P is significantly high as compared to the substance P level of a normal person. Stress is the factor, which increases the substance P level in a person. Researches show that people having problems with osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia usually have high substance P levels. Therefore, as we have concluded earlier that Mrs Oliver is suffering from fibromyalgia, we can say that she must be having a high substance P level. According to Clauw (2010), some of the common signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia include chronic fatigue, headaches, painful menstrual periods, numbness or tingling of hands and feet, temperature sensitivity, irritable bowel syndrome, swelling, and sleep disturbances. Chronic fatigue and sleep disturbance are two of the common signs of fibromyalgia. One of the signs, which differentiate fibromyalgia from other related medical problems, such as, arthritis and polymyositis, is that fibromyalgia does not cause damage to muscles and internal organs. On the other hand, arthritis and polymyositis can cause damage to muscles and joints. Although there is no proper treatment of fibromyalgia in medical science, one can limit the intensity of pain by learning the ways to deal with stress.