Article at a Glance
- Fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis are chronic pain conditions with many similar symptoms.
- RA is progressive and causes joint pain, swelling, and deformity, though fibromyalgia does not.
- Treatment for both conditions varies.
Fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis are two conditions that often come to mind when thinking of chronic pain. In the rheumatoid arthritis vs. fibromyalgia debate, the similarities of the conditions sometimes outweigh the differences. Yet they’re not the same and can affect your life differently.
So, what is the difference between RA and fibromyalgia? Read the guide below to learn more about these conditions.
Fibromyalgia Pain
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that can affect the whole body due to stress and poor sleep. Common symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Sleep Disturbances
- Pain
- Stiffness
One problem with this condition is that it causes the brain to process pain differently, so you’d likely experience heightened muscle tenderness, stiffness, and generalized pain. Though pain could occur anywhere in the body with fibromyalgia, it may start in one spot and spread to other parts over time. The pain could also lead to abdominal cramping, headaches, and migraines in some cases.
Arthritis Pain
Unlike fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease. As such, it’s the body’s immune system that triggers a painful attack on joints by causing massive inflammation in areas like the wrist, hands, the balls of feet, and knees.
Common rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include:
- Joint inflammation
- Visible damage to joints
- Progressive worsening of the condition
- Joint stiffness in the morning
- Loss of appetite
Difference Between RA and Fibromyalgia
When exploring the differences between rheumatoid arthritis vs. fibromyalgia, it’s important to know their similarities. Both conditions produce joint pain, stiffness, periodic flare-ups, sleep disturbances, and mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
Yet, the pain they produce differs. RA pain doesn’t affect the entire body like fibromyalgia, but it can trigger pain in both sides of the body, such as both knees or both hands. Sometimes, deformities and anemia can form due to rheumatoid arthritis.
Joint inflammation that’s present in RA also isn’t common in fibromyalgia. Still, the swelling from rheumatoid arthritis can impact the following:
- Blood vessels
- Lungs
- Eyes
- Heart
Both conditions can cause fatigue and sleep disturbances, but the lack of sleep is worse for those with fibromyalgia. People with this central pain condition typically feel more drained due to a lack of sleep.
Which Is Worse: Fibromyalgia or Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The difference between RA and fibromyalgia in terms of condition severity depends on each person. RA can be more noticeable and debilitating than fibromyalgia for some because it’s a progressive auto-immune disease. Unfortunately, the pain and muscle tenderness of fibromyalgia can also seriously impact a person’s life.
One of the reasons fibromyalgia can be tough to deal with is the fact that it’s hard to diagnose. Unlike RA, physicians can’t run lab tests to diagnose somebody with fibromyalgia, which can result in people experiencing prolonged bouts of pain without a known cause. In most cases, people get a fibromyalgia diagnosis after their doctors rule out other possible conditions.
It’s possible to have RA and fibromyalgia. Women with auto-immune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are most likely also to have fibromyalgia, which makes it harder to pinpoint the root cause of pain, stiffness, and fatigue.
Treatment for Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Unfortunately, there’s no cure for either chronic pain condition. Treatment plans for both help people manage pain and improve their quality of life. Options could include home remedies like regular exercise and improved sleeping habits.
For RA, treatments may involve disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, corticosteroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication. Medications like Cymbalta and Lyrica may help with fibromyalgia pain by adjusting certain brain chemicals to feel pain with less intensity.
Certain kinds of therapy can also help manage these conditions. For fibromyalgia, cognitive-behavioral therapy is best. It can help change thought patterns that could contribute to stress and flare-ups. Physical therapy works well for RA since it helps improve flexibility and range of motion.
Consult an Orthopedic Specialist for RA and Fibromyalgia Symptoms Today
Knowing the difference between RA and fibromyalgia is necessary to get the proper treatments and make the necessary lifestyle adjustments. Orthopedic Specialists, S.C., is at your service if you’re unsure about these conditions and need help managing them.
Our medical center in Elmhurst, IL, uses our musculoskeletal expertise to create personalized treatment plans to better our patients’ health, wellness, and pain management. To begin, request a consultation with us by calling (630) 782-9600 today.
Key Takeaways
- Rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia involve chronic pain.
- A major difference between RA and fibromyalgia is that the latter is more widespread than the former, which mostly affects the knees, hands, wrists, and balls of the feet.
- Our physicians at Orthopedic Specialists S.C. can help treat pain from fibromyalgia and varieties of arthritis.
