How To Know if You Have Fibromyalgia DC

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome of widespread body pain and fatigue. There are signs and symptoms, including those shown below, that can help to identify and diagnose fibromyalgia.

1. The major, characteristic symptom of fibromyalgia is joint and muscle pain and stiffness. People with fibromyalgia will find that they experience widespread and severe body pain that is chronic (ongoing). The pain will affect the muscles and joints but will also produce “tender points” at places on the body where the muscles are attached to bones, at the joints. Some published diagnostic studies have suggested that fibromyalgia is better determined when a person is found to have at least 11 of the 18 possible tender points that can occur within the body. These are areas where pain will occur upon applying mild pressure to them, using a fingertip. The areas where these tender points may occur include the hip, knees, the back of the head near the base of the neck, upper areas of the chest, the upper back in the cervical spine area, the elbows and the shoulders.
2. People with fibromyalgia often suffer from severe fatigue and sleep disturbances. Fatigue is another major symptom of this disorder and is sometimes exacerbated by sleep disturbances that may also occur. The fatigue is usually relentless and proper sleep and rest does little to alleviate it. The circadian sleep rhythms that are supposed to normally occur become abnormal in fibromyalgia patients, which results in daytime sleepiness and feeling more awake at nighttime. Medical research, including that conducted by the National Institutes of Health, suggests that abnormal functioning of the adrenal glands is one possible cause of the disrupted sleep patterns, because the adrenal hormone “cortisol” is not regulated normally by the adrenal glands in people who have fibromyalgia. ...

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Author: James Lowrance