Common Signs & Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia

Introduction to Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that mainly manifests itself as widespread pains all over the body, and more specifically in certain well defined tender regions.

The muscle pains are experienced in different ways: they can radiate, appear as a burning pain, muscles always being sore or a general aching and stiffness. Most patients report that the pain varies in intensity depending on the weather.

The quality of your sleep as well physical activity also have a big influence. Symptoms like fatigue and tiredness and muscle pains can appear to be very similar to normal flu symptoms. That is why the disease can go undiscovered for quite a long time.

Even after a full night's sleep several patients complain about general fatigue, while others wake up very often during the night and are unable to have an undisturbed sleep. Such interrupted sleeping patterns can cause long term fatigue in patients.

Some symptoms are very similar to what happens in patients with CFS or chronic fatigue syndrome. They also experience fibromyalgia related symptoms such as tender points.

There are 18 known tender spots in the body, soft tissue that is highly sensitive to pressure. They are situated in the shoulders, neck, lower back, knees and elbows as specified by the American College of Rheumatology criteria.

Long term pain and fatigue can make you depressive. So it is no surprise that some patients also suffer from mood swings, while others are having a hard time fighting stress and anxiety. Sensitivity to temperature and light and difficulty to concentrate are also commonly reported.

Problems with concentration can reduce your ability to perform simple mental tasks. Doctors attribute the occurrence of these problems to sleep disturbances and the general fatigue following from it.

To summarize, symptoms indicating fibromyalgia include the presence of most of the 18 tender points, muscle pain lasting for more than a few months, sleeping problems, general fatigue, and headaches.

The feeling of "pins and needles" in extremities, also called paresthesia, can be present. But such symptoms are also found in other neuromuscular diseases.

As there is no simple list of symptoms exclusively associated with fibromyalgia, the syndrome is normally diagnosed after eliminating other diseases with similar symptoms.

Discussing a history of depression or anxiety with a doctor will help him in creating a personal treatment plan for the patient. Unfortunately for a long time many doctors have refused to even acknowledge the existence of diseases like CFS and fibromyalgia.