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Osteoarthritis Spine Surgery Treatment for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is an extremely painful condition that can accompany osteoarthritis of the spine. When this occurs, treatment of the osteoarthritis may help to ease the fibromyalgia. You may elect to undergo surgery to relieve your osteoarthritis, so also attempting to ease the pain of the fibromyalgia. Surgery is one of a number of options to treat osteoarthritis of the spine and any accompanying fibromyalgia.

  1. Fibromyalgia

    • Fibromyalgia is condition in which the sufferer experiences bodywide pain in the skeletal muscles, or the muscles that are essential to skeletal movement. Fibromyalgia may also cause tenderness and pain in the joints. The causes of fibromyalgia are not yet known, but it may be connected to lack of sleep, which is also one of the symptoms that the condition causes. Fibromyalgia may also accompany skeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis of the spine.

    Osteoarthritis

    • Osteoarthritis of the spine is a degenerative disease that affects the spinal joints. It is most common after the age of 45. Degeneration occurs in the ends of the bones in the spine, as well as in the discs that sit between the bones. Osteoarthritis usually occurs in the lower back or the neck and causes extreme pain in those areas. As the disease develops sections of the back joints may break off and cause inflammation of the muscles around the back.

    Surgery

    • Surgery to treat osteoarthritis of the spine is usually an elective surgery, meaning that it is not often absolutely necessary. However, as fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis may be connected, surgery may be an effective way to treat both conditions. Surgery to treat osteoarthritis of the spine is usually intended to remove fragments of bone from the muscles, thus lessening inflammation. In extremely severe cases, the bones of the spine in the neck area may need to be fused together using bone grafts.

    Treatment

    • Other treatments, such as spinal injections, medications and analgesics, such as acetaminophen, are used to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis and may not be helpful in treating accompanying fibromyalgia, though analgesics may be of help. Use of a medium-firm mattress may help to ease the pain caused by osteoarthritis in the lower back, helping you to sleep and so, potentially, relieving any accompanying fibromyalgia.

    Considerations

    • No treatment for back pain should be decided on without consulting with your doctor. As surgery for osteoarthritis is often an elective surgery it may not be covered by health insurance, and you should check with your insurance provider before undergoing any treatment.

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