I’m Pain Free! Lady Gaga Reveals Her Disabling Fibromyalgia That Left Her ‘Ache From Head To Toe’ Has Miraculously Gone

By Liam On Sep 5, 2024

Viewers of Lady Gaga’s revealing 2017 documentary will be familiar with the debilitating health issues she’s faced over the past decade.

In Four Foot Two, the megastar offered a heartbreaking insight into her battle with chronic pain caused by the chronic condition fibromyalgia.

The singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, has since spoken at length about her struggles, telling Oprah in a 2020 interview that she was “in pain from head to toe.”

But now the disease, for which there is no cure, appears to have subsided for 38-year-old Germanotta.

Lady Gaga’s Netflix documentary ‘Gaga: Five Foot Two’ offered a glimpse into the star’s life and her battle with the painful condition fibromyalgia

In her latest interview with Vogue magazine, the A Star Is Born actress said her most recent tour, in 2022, was the “first time I performed without pain.”

“I did it without pain,” she said. “I changed.”

She added that she hasn’t smoked “weed” in years, having previously said she uses the drug to help with her chronic pain.

While she doesn’t fully explain why her health has improved so dramatically, she says the 2022 tour, called Chromatica, was the first she did while in a relationship with her current fiancé, American entrepreneur Michael Polansky.

“Michael and I did that tour together,” she said, later adding that she is “really excited” to “organize our lives and our marriage around our creative output as a couple.”

Fibromyalgia is thought to affect between 1.8 and 2.9 million people in the UK.

In a candid new interview with Vogue, in which she poses in a number of striking looks, Lady Gaga raved about her “kind” and “smart” partner, before praising him for “holding her hand” through tough times

Lady Gaga has opened up about her love for her fiancé Michael Polansky, revealing that he helped her through a dark period in her life where she struggled with her mental health.

The cause of the condition is unknown, but it is thought to involve misfiring brain signals that alter the way nerves carry pain signals through the body.

According to the NHS, it causes a range of symptoms including increased pain sensitivity, muscle stiffness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and low mood.

There are limited treatments for fibromyalgia, and activists have long campaigned for further research to find better therapies.

Currently, the NHS recommends a combination of exercise, talking therapies and medications normally used to treat anxiety and depression.

WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain and fatigue.

Research shows that 2.7 percent of people worldwide suffer from it. For every man, three women are affected.

Fibromyalgia is often triggered by trauma, such as a car accident or childbirth, and by infections. Why this happens is unclear.

The discomfort usually manifests as pain and a burning sensation from head to toe.

And the fatigue ranges from drowsiness to flu-like exhaustion.

People with severe forms of the disease are often unable to work or have social contact.

The pain may be worse at times than at other times and may change location, for example in the parts of the body that are used most.

Other symptoms may include headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, diarrhea or constipation, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, allergies, and hypersensitivity to stimuli such as light or heat.

Research shows that the average patient waits five years before being diagnosed. It is thought that this is because x-rays and other medical tests do not pick up the condition.

It is generally defined as pain that lasts for more than three months and affects 11 or more of the 18 tender points when pressed.

Treatment is aimed at relieving pain and promoting sleep.

Source: Fibromyalgia Action UK

There is little to no evidence that other types of medications help reduce long-term pain.

Germanotta previously admitted that she takes medication for her mental health that has helped her “tremendously,” during her 2020 interview with Oprah.

“I take an antipsychotic. (If I didn’t) I would get very depressed and spasms in my sleep,” she said.

‘Medication has really helped me. A lot of people are afraid that medication will help their brain. I really want to take away the stigma around it.’

However, antipsychotic medications such as amisulpride and clozapine are not recommended for fibromyalgia.

While there is no evidence that a new relationship can improve symptoms, studies have shown that emotional stress can make pain worse.

A 2019 study by Norwegian scientists found that stress-relieving therapies such as Mindfulness led to mild to moderate improvements in fibromyalgia-related symptoms in a group of female patients.

However, it could also just be a matter of timing that Lady Gaga is not showing any symptoms.

According to NHS guidelines, fibromyalgia symptoms vary over time and can suddenly improve significantly as brain signals regulate themselves.

But the condition can worsen just as quickly, with symptoms becoming increasingly severe.

“We know that fibromyalgia is a relapsing condition and that means most people experience fluctuations in their symptoms,” says GP Philippa Kaye.

‘One of the symptoms of the disease is that the symptoms are interchangeable: they can suddenly get better or worse.’

‘There is no cure, but for many people the pain disappears for a very long time.’

Dr. Kaye adds that patients can do a lot to manage the disease.

Examples include exercise programs and cognitive behavioral therapy.