The fatigue experienced when suffering from fibromyalgia goes beyond “ normal fatigue ,” according to a recent publication in the journal BMC – Musculoskeletal Disorders.
The researchers wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the fatigue that occurs in fibromyalgia and the impact it has on our lives. After conducting a series of interviews, they analyzed the results and developed a conceptual model of fibromyalgia fatigue, which includes the following elements:
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A feeling of overwhelming fatigue
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It does not improve with rest or sleep
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It is not proportional to the effort that is made day to day.
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Associated with a feeling of weakness and heaviness
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Interferes with motivation and desire to perform activities
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Difficulty performing prolonged tasks
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It makes it difficult for us to concentrate, think clearly and remember things.
For those of us living with this type of fatigue, this is nothing new. However, it seems this model is a good step forward. The medical world does not properly understand the different types of fatigue and needs appropriate language to describe them. Everyone feels tired from time to time, and fatigue is one of the main complaints doctors hear. This model provides a definition of fibromyalgia-related fatigue, helping to distinguish it from other types of fatigue.
Many of us with fibromyalgia have experienced all levels of fatigue in this new pattern, in different variations, and surely most of us have experience with doctors who often don’t understand the weakness we feel due to fatigue. It can be a terrifying symptom, to the point that sometimes we’re even afraid to walk for fear of falling because our legs are so weak they seem unable to support us. And since this weakness comes and goes, sometimes it doesn’t even seem to make much sense.
Hopefully, this new model could help us and our doctors better understand fibromyalgia-related fatigue.
Tell us what you think of this new model. Do you think it resembles the fatigue you feel?
