Medterms.com gives the following definition for fibromyalgia:

Fibromyalgia: A syndrome characterized by, stiffness, and tenderness of muscles, tendons, and joints without detectable inflammation. Fibromyalgia does not cause body damage or deformity. However, undue fatigue plagues the large majority of patients with fibromyalgia and are common in fibromyalgia.

It is estimated that over 3% of the population of the United States suffers from fibromyalgia. The condition affects women predominantly (over 80 percent), between the ages of 35 and 55.

This condition has been studied since the early-1800s and was called by a variety of former names, such as muscular rheumatism and fibrositis. In 1976, “Fibromyalgia” was coined to help describe the condition. The term is derived from the Latin word fibra, meaning fiber, myo, meaning muscle, and the Greek word algos, meaning pain.

Characteristically, a person suffering from fibromyalgia will hurt all over, be constantly tired, depressed, anxious, have stiffness and tenderness of muscles, tendons and joints without detectable inflammation and may even have irritable bowel syndrome. These are just some of the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is considered an arthritis-related condition but it is NOT arthritis, as arthritis is a disease of the joints and although fibromyalgia can be just as debilitating as arthritis, they are not the same.

Fortunately, fibromyalgia, although extremely painful, does not lead to joint deformity or damage to the internal organs or muscles like such other diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus and polymyositis. Unfortunately, there is no known cause or cure.

Current research suggests that fibromyalgia can start from an illness or as a result of some trauma, such as a traffic accident. The progression of fibromyalgia can have a slow onset, with many patients reporting mild symptoms beginning in childhood, such as growing pains. Changes in the weather or an unrelated illness have been known to aggravate symptoms.

Fibromyalgia patients have reported that the following factors can temporarily increased their suffering:

Cold weather, especially when damp

Malnutrition, hunger, or starvation Physical activity of any kind, including minor tasks such as writing

Lack of deep sleep

Increase of stress

The consumption of alcohol

Diagnosis of fibromyalgyis is tricky, as it is closely related to other conditions, such as endocrine disorders, arthritis and plymyalgia reheumatia. The American College of Rheumatology has established two criteria for diagnosis:

1. A history of widespread pain lasting more than three months – widespread as in all four quadrants of the body, i.e., both sides and above and below the waist.

2. Tender points – there are 18 designated possible tender points, although a person with the syndrome may feel pain in other areas as well.

There are no blood or x-ray tests to help the physician with their diagnosis and, therefore, said diagnosis is made purely on clinical grounds based on patient history and physical examination. Widespread pain, on both sides of the body above and below the waist and tenderness in at least 11 of the 18 tender points when pressed are two symptoms that confirm the condition of fibromyalgia.

Although there are no specific bloods tests to determine the presence of fibromyalgia, there are blood tests that can exclude other medical conditions that mimic fibromyalgia.

Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of fibromyalgia after all other possible conditions are ruled out, treatment may consist of a variety modalities. Not all patients will respond to these, but here are a few treatment methods that have helped:

Getting regular exercise to help with muscle aches and stiffness – low impact exercises such as swimming, cycling, walking and stationary cross-country skiing machines are excellent exercises as long as you start out slowly. It has been found that exercise regimens performed on an every-other-day basis, in the morning, are most beneficial. Stretching to help allay muscle stiffness and fatigue, as in mild aerobic exercise is also highly recommended.

Avoiding alcohol and caffeine before bedtime can help promote a more restful sleep.

Stress reduction. This may include biofeedback, relaxation tapes, psychological counseling and/or support groups. Some have even found that by modifying environmental factors such as noise, temperature and weather exposure helps.

Medications such as used for depression, in low doses, have helped in treating fibromyalgia.

Acupuncture may also help. According to a study published in the June 2006 edition of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings and presented last year at the 11th World Congress of Pain, acupuncture relieved fatigue and anxiety in fibromyalgia patients for up to seven months after treatment.

Chiropractic care. This treatment is based on the theory that restricted movement in the spine may lead to pain and reduced function. Due to the risks of manipulation be sure to seek out properly trained and licensed practitioners.

Massage Therapy. One of the oldest methods of health care still in practice, massage can reduce your heart rate, relax your muscles, improve range of motion in your joints and increase production of your body’s natural painkillers as well as relieve stress and anxiety.

The future of fibromyalgia therapy is, of course, to find the cause of the condition in order for researchers to develop a test that can help doctors diagnosis fibromyalgia. Until then, fibromyalgia patients can be helped by improved education of fibromyalgia for themselves, families and friends, exercise and medications.



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To receive an accurate fibromyalgia diagnosis takes the average person five years because the symptoms of fibromyalgia are similar with other conditions. Unfortunately there are no laboratory tests that can help to diagnose this enigmatic chronic condition.

If the pain it feels for three months in all four quadrants of the body means that fibromyalgia occured.Also for a fibromyalgia diagnosis must be at least 11 of 18 specific tender points.Sometimes fibromyalgia diagnosis can be confound to other diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.For an accurate fibromyalgia diagnosis doctor will analyze the characteristic features of the condition.

If exists any of the following associated symptoms: chronic headaches, sleep disorder, cognitive or memory impairment, jaw pain, fatigue, muscle pain, skin and chemical sensitivities, menstrual cramping, morning stiffness, numbness and tingling sensations, constipation and dizziness a fibromyalgia diagnosis may be given.A physician for given an accurate fibromyalgia diagnosis must know the patient symptoms and history and to do a physical examination and a manual tender point examination.

A tender point examination, which determines the presence of tender points on certain spots of the body and is based on the standardized ACR criteria is the most accurate fibromyalgia diagnosis.In the fibromyalgia diagnosis are used the 18 tender points which are localized around the shoulder, hip, elbow, knee and neck regions.Other 75 tender points have been identified but are not used to diagnose a fibromyalgia.

With electrophysiological studies of the nerves and muscles and imaging tests the physician will see if other diseases such as lupus, Lyme disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, viral infections and rheumatoid arthritis exist even though the patient have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or other diseases. Through a physical examination of the skin, nails, spine, muscles, bones and joints doctor will rule out arthritis and thyroid disease before finalizing a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

The criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome are met at 50 to 70 percent of patients given a fibromyalgia diagnosis.Most people with chronic fatigue syndrome do not meet the criteria.Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are two very different conditions but they seem similar.Tiredness is often met at people with chronic fatigue syndrome and pains are met to those with fibromyalgia diagnosis.Swollen glands, sore throat and fever can be found to people with chronic fatigue syndrome more than to people with a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

Fibromyalgia may or may not be the result of a virus but chronic fatigue syndrome is viral in origin.The pain felt in all four quadrants of the body for a minimum of three months and the tender points test used by an experienced physician may help to give a diagnose for fibromyalgia.Because the causes of this disease are unknown patients may have pains for more than three months or even three years before an accurate fibromyalgia diagnosis to be given.

It is better to know if the patient has or has not fibromyalgia because he may receive a good treatment for this disease.Having a fibromyalgia diagnosis gives many people a sense of relief because they know the problem and it’s not all in their imaginations.

If you want to find out more information about http://www.fibromyalgia-info-center.com please visit this website. You will also find valuable information about Fibromyalgia diet and Fibromyalgia alternative therapies.



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Fibromyalgia is a neurological chronic condition that affects the musculoskeletal tissues of the body. The disorder is mostly responsible for inducing discomfort, pain and fatigue in the muscles, ligaments, tendons and in the areas surrounding the joints. People who suffer from fibromyalgia are constantly confronted with intense pain that tends to reoccur on a regular time basis. The pain caused by the disorder is felt deep inside the muscles and in certain points called trigger points. A common feature to all people with fibromyalgia is the location of the pain; to all patients fibromyalgia pain occurs in the same trigger points. Although people with fibromyalgia perceive the pain at different intensities, they claim to permanently feel a different level of pain in their soft muscular tissues.

An interesting aspect of fibromyalgia is that it can be very difficult to detect in some patients. The symptoms of fibromyalgia are common to many other conditions and therefore they can be misleading in establishing the appropriate diagnose. Although some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia may resemble those of rheumatoid arthritis, people with fibromyalgia seem to be in perfect health when they are examined by a physician, revealing no signs of muscular dysfunctions. Basic physical examinations and common laboratory tests usually don’t reveal the presence of fibromyalgia. This is due to the fact that pain, fatigue and discomfort are mentally induced to patients with fibromyalgia, as a consequence of abnormal activity of their nervous system. Although they show no physical abnormalities or dysfunctions, their experienced pain is real!

Abnormal brain activity is considered to be the main cause of fibromyalgia and there are two areas of the brain thought to be involved in the process. A high output of the mesencephalon (the upper region of the brain) accelerates the heart rate, increases blood pressure and raises the body temperature. People with fibromyalgia often experience sudden changes in body temperature and sometimes they sweat abundantly and even have fever. Also, a high activity of the mesencephalon is responsible for difficulties in falling asleep and inconstant sleep patterns. Most people who suffer from fibromyalgia have trouble sleeping and in some cases they even suffer from insomnia. Therefore, the cause for fibromyalgia lack of sleep is thought to be the abnormal activity of the mesencephalon. The permanent fatigue felt throughout the whole body by people with the disorder is amplified by inappropriate sleeping patterns, un-refreshing sleep or insomnia.

Another part of the brain that is considered to be responsible for inducing other fibromyalgia symptoms (anxiety, depression, lack of concentration, poor cognitive abilities, loss of short-term memory and confusion) is the cerebellum. A lower activity of the cerebellum is thought to be the cause of other fibromyalgia symptoms and the majority of people who suffer from the disorder reveal abnormal activity of both cerebellum and mesencephalon.

Fibromyalgia is considered to be a serious condition. Due to the chronic character of fibromyalgia, patients require ongoing treatment and therapy. If left untreated, fibromyalgia can cause other symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and swelling, vomiting, internal distress. Many people with fibromyalgia also seem to become depressed as the disorder develops and sometimes they even indulge in suicidal acts. Therefore, it is vital to spot the presence of fibromyalgia in time and appropriate measures must be taken in order to prevent further complications and undesirable effects.



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