Lady Gaga opens up on health battle that left her 'head to toe in pain'

Lady Gaga has candidly discussed her struggle with a severe health issue that caused her to delay her European tour in 2018 . Fans of the poignant Netflix documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two are well aware that the last decade has been fraught with challenges for the Born This Way artist.

In 2013, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, an untreatable condition that was triggered by a hip fracture she sustained on stage. The intensity of symptoms can vary, but the music icon has previously confided to Oprah that fibromyalgia made her feel pain "head to toe."

At her lowest point, the excruciating pain forced her to reschedule performances in 2018 and even cast doubt on her ability to have children in the future. However, there's a ray of hope as Gaga, born Stefani Germanotta, prepares for the premiere of Joker: Folie a Deux. Speaking to Vogue, she reflected on the triumph of her recent Chromatica Ball tour , which boasted her hit Rain on Me.

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"When I went on the Chromatica Ball tour in 2022 ... that was the first time I've performed not in pain in," she shared with the magazine, adding: "I did it pain-free!," reports the Mirror .

The 38-year-old superstar's positive update follows a series of intensive treatments to manage her fibromyalgia, with the 2017 documentary even capturing her receiving therapeutic injections in a hospital while getting ready for an interview.

She has discussed in the past how puffing on cannabis helped ease her discomfort. However, in a recent interview, she emphasized that she hasn't used it for years and proclaimed: "I've, like, changed."

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen suggest that almost 2.5 million people in the UK are living with fibromyalgia. Gaga's condition appears to have stemmed from physical trauma, but not all cases start this way.

Experts at the Mayo Clinic in London also reckon that substantial psychological stress might spark the condition, or, interestingly, it might not be tied to any specific event. The ailment is also often accompanied by other problems such as anxiety, depression, throbbing headaches, and irritable bowel syndrome.

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