Fibromyalgia: Diagnostic Symptoms & More

#2)What are the diagnositc symptoms of FMS?

Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain, fatigue (feeling tired) and often many more symptoms. To diagnose someone with Fibromyalgia, specifically tender points must be located on the body and documented by a physician.

Tender points are located on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs. They hurt when specific pressure is applied during examination.

People with fibromyalgia may have additional symptoms, such as:

1. Trouble sleeping
2. Morning stiffness
3. Headaches
4. Painful menstrual periods
5. Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
6. Problems with thinking and memory (sometimes called “fibro fog”)

Plus, they may have symptoms of anxiety or problems managing stress, trouble with balance and walking, fainting spells and many, many other symptoms.

Research shows that people with FMS typically see many doctors before receiving a conclusive diagnosis. One reason for this may be that pain and fatigue, the main symptoms of fibromyalgia, overlap with so many other conditions. Therefore, doctors often have to rule out other potential causes of these symptoms before making a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.

Another important reason is that there are currently no diagnostic laboratory tests for FMS. Standard laboratory tests fail to reveal a physiologic reason for the widespread body pain. Because there is no generally accepted, objective test for Fibromyalgia, some doctors unfortunately may conclude a patient’s pain is not real, or they may tell the patient there is little they can do.

A doctor familiar with Fibromyalgia, however, can make a diagnosis based on two criteria established by the ACR (American College of Rheumatology):

1. A history of widespread pain lasting more than 3 months and
2. The presence of at least 11 out of 18 of the designated tender points. See the next 2 paragraphs.

*Pain is considered to be widespread when it affects all four quadrants of the body; that is, you must have pain in both your right and left sides as well as above and below the waist to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The ACR also has designated 18 sites on the body as possible tender points.

For a fibromyalgia diagnosis, a person must have 11 or more tender points. (See illustration below.) One of these predesignated sites is considered a true tender point only if the person feels pain upon the application of 4 kilograms of pressure to the site. People who have fibromyalgia certainly may feel pain at other sites, too, but those 18 standard possible sites on the body are the criteria used for classification.

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The location of the nine paired tender points that comprise the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia.

For more information see:

1.) National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
National Institutes of Health, 1 AMS Circle, Bethesda, MD 20892–3675
Phone: 301–495–4484 or 877–22–NIAMS (226–4267) (free of charge)
TTY: 301–565–2966
Fax: 301–718–6366
E-mail: NIAMSInfo@mail.nih.gov
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Fibromyalgia/default.asp

2.) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
National Institutes of Health, P.O. Box 7923, Gaithersburg, MD 20898-7923
Phone: 888-644-6226 (free of charge)
TTY: 866-464-3615 (free of charge)
Fax: 866-464-3616 (free of charge)
E-mail: info@nccam.nih.gov@nccam.nih.gov
http://www.nccam.nih.gov

3.) Social Security Administration, Office of Public Inquiries, Windsor Park Building
6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235
Phone: 800-772-1213 (free of charge)
TTY: 800-325-0778 (free of charge)
http://www.ssa.gov/disability.

*Also if you look specifically on the following website under Regulation 99-2p and “Cross References, section 3,” you will find the wording where Social Security classifies Fibromyalgia as being a recognizable disability under the same heading as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

4.) American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, 1800 Century Place, Suite 250, Atlanta, GA 30345-4300
Phone: 404-633-3777
Fax: 404-633-1870
http://www.rheumatology.org

*Hint: put the term “fibromyalgia” in the search term box.

5.) National Fibromyalgia Association, 2200 N. Glassell Street, Suite A,
Orange, CA 92865
Phone: 714-921-0150
http://www.fmaware.org

6.) National Fibromyalgia Partnership, P.O. Box 160, Linden, VA 22642-0160
Phone: 866-725-4404 (free of charge)
Fax: 866-666-2727 (free of charge)
E-mail: mail@fmpartnership.org
http://www.fmpartnership.org

7.) Arthritis Foundation, 1330 West Peachtree Street, Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30309
Phone: 404-872-7100 or
800-568-4045 (free of charge) or call your local chapter
(To find your local chapter, check your phone directory or visit the foundation’s Web site.)
http://www.arthritis.org

Fibromyalgia Information
Page 1, Fibromyalgia: What Does Fibromyalgia Mean?
Page 3, Fibromyalgia: How Do I Get Better?
Page 4, Fibromyalgia: Where Can I Find Help?