In the show Bel & Bien, recently broadcast on France 2, Chris Marques, juror of Dancing with the stars, spoke about his fibromyalgia. The professional dancer fought against this chronic disease for ten years.
- Fibromyalgia affects 1.5 to 2% of the French population and most often affects women aged 30 to 55.
- Fibromyalgia syndrome is characterized by chronic pain. It has a major impact on the quality of life and social and professional activities.
- To date, no specific treatment can cure the disease because the origin of fibromyalgia pain is not known.
“It was first of all a slump, which turned into the flu, and lasted two weeks, three weeks… And which never left me again”. This is how Dancing with the Stars juror Chris Marques described on the show Well & Wellbroadcast on France 2 on January 29, his fibromyalgia, a disease he suffered from when he was 21 to 31 years old. The choreographer discovered that he was touched by this “myalgic myoencephalitis” (another name for fibromyalgia)also called “chronic fatigue syndrome”, after “two to three years” of medical wandering. “It’s a disease that struck me down for ten years”, he indicated.
Fibromyalgia, from which the coach of the dance show suffered, is a chronic pathology. It is characterized by permanent diffuse pain (stiffness, tingling, numbness, cramps, electric shocks, burns). These are associated with intense fatigue, sleep and memory disorders, neurological disorders (dizziness, headaches), digestive disorders (bloating, irritable bowel syndrome) or even anxiety and depression. This disease can cause a decrease in the ability to carry out activities of daily living and have family, social and professional repercussions.
“Sometimes I couldn’t get out before 4 p.m.”
Although Chris Marques had to struggle with this condition, the 43-year-old salsa champion never gave up on his passion: dancing. But he was forced to cut his training hours because of fibromyalgia. When he was sick, the choreographer trained “a half hour” versus “7 to 8 hours a day before”. “I had very little useful time per day. (…) Sometimes I couldn’t get out before 4 p.m. do the basics to get out”he said.
The professional dancer said he couldn’t stand for more than an hour. To be in shape, “In the car, I drank eight cans of energy drink. Which kept me going and being a stack for two hours”, confessed Chris Marques. Today, the forty-year-old manages to live with his disease thanks to respiratory methods.
What are the causes of fibromyalgia?
For now, the causes of fibromyalgia are not known. However, several biological, psychic and sociological factors can lead to its occurrence, according to health insurance. A history of depression, physical trauma, overwork, emotional breakdown, viral infection, surgery, or stress can cause this syndrome to appear.
How to diagnose and treat this chronic disease?
Fibromyalgia is difficult to detect. “To date, there is no organic lesion or biological biomarker that makes it possible to objectify a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The criteria used are therefore based on the symptoms. The doctors take into account a diffuse pain score, which is based on their location and intensity, as well as a severity score for the associated symptoms (fatigue, cognitive disorders, etc.), can we read on the website of Inserm.
Currently, there is no specific treatment to treat fibromyalgia syndrome. The doctor sets up a physical rehabilitation, which is specific to each patient, to relieve the symptoms. If the latter does not have an effect, the practitioner prescribes painkillers and, if necessary, psychological help. The healthcare professional can also refer the patient to other specialists, such as a rheumatologist, neurologist or psychiatrist.
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