How to recognize fibromyalgia flares and what to do about them

• Symptoms
• Triggers
• Management
• Treatment
• Summary

Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes pain and tenderness throughout the body. Symptoms of fibromyalgia flares vary but often involve widespread pain, joint stiffness, and extreme sensitivity to stimuli.

Some people with fibromyalgia may experience certain symptoms regularly. However, the pain associated with fibromyalgia tends to fluctuate and worsen.

When symptoms temporarily increase in number or intensity, it is called a flare or flare-up. A flare-up can last anywhere from a few days to weeks.

When fibromyalgia pains flare up, every activity can seem more difficult. All people experience flares differently, and there can be different triggers depending on the person.

This article discusses the symptoms of fibromyalgia flares, their causes, and how to manage them.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia

Scientists estimate that around 4 million adultsTrusted Source in the United States have fibromyalgia. People who were assigned female at birth are twice as likely to have fibromyalgia as those assigned male at birth. Children can have fibromyalgia, but it is more common in older adults.

The main symptom of fibromyalgia is widespread pain. People may also experience stiffness and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, and joints. The individual symptoms differ from one person to another. Symptoms can vary in intensity and come and go.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia may include:

• pain throughout the body, particularly in the back or neck
• extreme sensitivity to touch, light, smoke, and certain foods
• stiffness when staying in the same position for long periods
• muscles spasms
• poor quality sleep
• fatigue
• trouble with memory and concentration referred to as “fibro fog”
• slow or confused speech
• frequent headaches or migraine
• irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Someone with fibromyalgia may sometimes experience clumsiness, dizzy spells, feeling too hot or cold, painful periods, restless legs syndrome, and numbness or tingling in hands and feet.

Daily pain and sleep deprivation can cause problems at home and work. The stress of coping with a condition can also lead to anxiety and depression.

Flare-ups can happen without warning but often have noticeable triggers.

Potential flare-up triggers

The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unknown. However, changes in brain chemical levels and central nervous system function may play a role. However, research is ongoing.

Periods of physical or emotional stress are common triggers for fibromyalgia. This may include:

• giving birth
• injury or infection
• large operations
• large life changes
• dealing with grief

Other factors may trigger a fibromyalgia flare-up, including:

• lack of sleep
• exhaustion
• temperature or weather changes
• diet changes
• hormonal imbalances

People may be at more risk of fibromyalgia if they have a rheumatic disease. Rheumatic diseases affect the bones, muscles, and joints. They include:

• osteoarthritis
• rheumatoid arthritis
• lupus
• ankylosing spondylitis

Arthritis resources

To discover more evidence-based information and resources for arthritis, visit our dedicated hub.

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How can you manage fibromyalgia flare-ups?

Although some triggers for fibromyalgia are beyond a person’s control, managing modifiable risk factors can help to prevent flare-ups.

Reducing the risk of flare-ups and practicing self-care can improve symptoms and overall quality of life.

Below are several lifestyle changes and tips that may help relieve symptoms and make fibromyalgia easier to live with daily.

Keeping a log of triggers

Triggers for fibromyalgia vary from person to person. Maintaining a log of activities, meals, sleep times and duration, and symptoms of fibromyalgia may help to identify particular triggers.

Recording these activities might highlight patterns of what triggers a flare. This might help a person with fibromyalgia find out how to better manage or avoid those triggers.

Reducing stress and relaxing

Stress can make symptoms of fibromyalgia worse. Many people with fibromyalgia experience stress and feelings of depression, anxiety, and frustration. People may benefit from trying to avoid or limit exposure to stressful situations and making time to relax.

While techniques such as meditation or deep breathing may help manage stressTrusted Source, it is important that people with fibromyalgia do not avoid physical activity altogether. People with fibromyalgia who quit work or stop exercising typically do not do as well as those who stay active.

Options to assist with stress management are available and include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, and feedback from qualified health professionals.

Read about stress reduction strategies.

Exercising regularly

Regular physical activity can often improve symptoms of fibromyalgia. Although exercise may increase pain at first, it may help prevent pain over time.

Activities that may help people with fibromyalgia include:

• walking
• biking
• swimming
• water aerobics
• Tai Chi

Maintaining good posture habits, stretching, and relaxation exercises may also help.

People with fibromyalgia should begin with gentle exercises, such as walking, and build up endurance and intensity slowly.

Resistance and strengthening exercises may improve muscle strength, physical disability, depression, and quality of life. They can also improve tiredness and boost mood in people with fibromyalgia.

Learn more about the best exercises for fibromyalgia.

Getting enough sleep

Fatigue is one of the main symptoms of fibromyalgia. It is essential that people with fibromyalgia get enough sleep.

Sleep hygiene practices that may help include going to bed, and getting up at the same time every day, and limiting napping during the day. Other helpful practices include:

• limiting screen time before bed
• limiting caffeine intake
• ensuring the sleep environment is dark and quiet
• avoiding eating large meals late in the evening

Learn more about the importance of sleep.

Not doing too much

While regular physical activity is recommended to help manage fibromyalgia symptoms, it is crucial to limit overexertion and not to do too much.

Moderation is the key. If a person with fibromyalgia does too much on days when their symptoms are less, they may end up having more bad days. However, on bad days, individuals should still try to be as active as they can. Keeping activity levels as even as possible provides the best outcome.

Diet

Although there is no specific diet recommended for people with fibromyalgia, there are certain foods that appear to make fibromyalgia symptoms worse.

Try an elimination diet, in which a person excludes certain food groups each week to see if symptoms improve. If symptoms get better after ruling out a certain type of food, they may well be connected to fibromyalgia symptoms.

Studies showTrusted Source that Mediterranean, vegetarian, low gluten, and low FODMAP diets may all help manage fibromyalgia symptoms.

Maintaining proper nutrition can help boost energy levels and help avoid other health problems.

Learn more about foods to eat and avoid with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia and Social Security

Many people with fibromyalgia find themselves unable to work or resume a normal standard of living.

For such people, Social Security rulings in the United States dictate that so long as a medical or osteopathic doctor can determine that the disease causes medically determinable impairment (MDI), the condition can qualify as a disability for Social Security payments.

This means that a doctor should be able to confirm:

• a history of widespread pain
• a minimum of 11 tender points following examination
• repeated instances of at least six fibromyalgia symptoms
• no other conditions are causing the pain

The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires medical documentation dating back 12 months related to the disease and may conduct interviews with relatives, friends, neighbors, and past employers to confirm the diagnosis.

In some cases, the SSA may fund a consultation to confirm the debilitating nature of the disease.

Treatment for fibromyalgia flare-ups

Treating fibromyalgia flares can be tricky. Preventing a flare from developing in the first place is less complicated than treating a flare.

Fibromyalgia has several symptoms, which means that no one treatment will fix them all. Also, a treatment that works for one person may not work for another.

Treatment plans will often combineTrusted Source medication and lifestyle changes.

Medications that may help reduce fibromyalgia pain and improve sleep include:

• antidepressants
• anti-seizure drugs
• low-dose naltrexone, which is an anti-opioid medication, may be helpful

Talking therapies such as CBT aim to alter the way a person thinks about things and may help tackle fibromyalgia in a more positive way. Psychotherapy can also help someone with fibromyalgia understand and deal with their thoughts and feelings.

Alternative treatments such as acupuncture, massage, and aromatherapy may also help with relaxation and stress.

reference<https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/315646