Learn about the tests and diagnostic methods used to identify Fibromyalgia, including blood tests and physical examinations to rule out other conditions.
The phrase “tender points” isn’t something you hear every day. But if you have fibromyalgia, you may be familiar with those words. In fact, your doctor may have used tender points to diagnose you. What Are Tender Points? In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) introduced criteria for diagnosing people with fibromyalgia. Part of the criteria included 18 possible tender points throughout the body. Tender points are small spots located around your neck, shoulders,…
Fibromyalgia comes with three major types of pain sensations. Hyperalgesia: this is our major pain as part of the syndrome itself. It is an abnormal sensitivity to pain. The crux of our pain dysfunction. Allodynia: With allodynia, there is a triggered pain response from stimuli that do not normally cause pain. In this case, it causes a great deal of skin pain. The skin burns to the touch and is often described as a sunburn sensation…
We are all familiar with fibrofog when it comes to fibromyalgia but fibrofog is really just part of the symptoms associated with the cognitive dysfunction of FM. An article published online on July 21 in Arthritis Care and Research has recently looked more in-depth into the symptoms of cognitive dysfunction and where it affects FM. What they looked at were four components of Executive Function: Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More….…
Back in the day. Like 20 years back in the day I had some expectations about what fibromyalgia is and then I learned the reality of what fibromyalgia is. We all have expectations of what it will be and mean for our lives in the beginning. Even before we are diagnosed since that can take 5 to 10 years. And sometimes we believe it will be horrible forever. And others, like me, believed it wouldn’t…
Adolescents with fibromyalgia who are physically active report lower levels of pain and disability, according to findings of a multicenter study published in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society. Led by researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, this study is the first to use actigraphy-based physical activity monitoring to measure the relationship between pain, perceived functional impairment, and depressive symptoms in adolescents with juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome (JPFS). For the research, 104…
So it looks like some clinicians have some uncertainty when it comes to diagnosing Fibromyalgia. Remember the criteria for tender points are no longer used. Data from the U.S., Europe, and Asia report that approximately half of providers admit uncertainty in confidently making a diagnosis of [fibromyalgia]. Diagnosing [fibromyalgia] more promptly should reduce unnecessary tests, specialty referrals, health care costs, and patient anxiety,” Kim D. Jones, Ph.D., FNP, FAAN, from Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing…
It is fibromyalgia awareness month once again. Remember fibromyalgia awareness day falls on May 12th. I’d like to start the month with a little fibromyalgia humor. Sadly, it is also all true. When you have fibromyalgia Sleep is the delicious nectar of the gods that is denied you Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More…. Too much sleep? That’s a flare The last time you had no pain was before the Big Bang Doing…
I can tell you for me it was a relief. I had symptoms for years but being undiagnosed is difficult. You have to deal with it all but have no treatment, no label, and no real understanding of what you should do. I was coping well at the time after having gone through a few years of difficulty coping. I didn’t have chronic migraines yet. I had learned to pace and moderate but I wasn’t…
I attended the birthday party of a good friend last night. Just an intimate and impromptu get-together at her house, I found myself given the opportunity for the first time since I have taken up the proverbial Fibromyalgia cross to promote my condition and raise awareness, the new charge of my life. But I was at a loss as to how to explain it without launching into 20 minutes of background information to answer each…
Dear Alexa I was involved in a road traffic accident following which I initially suffered from a whiplash injury with pain to my neck and back. It has now been 9 months since the accident and the pain has spread so that I have pain all over my body. I am convinced that I am suffering from fibromyalgia as I seem to suffer from the majority of symptoms in addition to the widespread pain including…