Could Fibromyalgia Be Causing Your Pain?
By David Silva

Fibromyalgia is an arthritis related disease that's often
difficult to diagnose because it's so often mistaken for
arthritis. There are over 100 forms of arthritis, and any one of
them can reflect the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Both arthritis
sufferers and fibromyalgia sufferers generally describe pain as
their primary symptom.

Unlike arthritis, however, the pain is not localized in a
specific joint or muscle; it's widespread, throbbing, sharp and
deep. While the pain is widespread, many fibromyalgia patients
also report "tender spots" where pain is felt more sharply if
the area is pressed. Doctors have narrowed down the number of
tender points to 18 specific locations. Under these
circumstances, it's easy to understand why fibromyalgia is so
difficult to diagnose.

If you suspect you may have Fibromyalgia, here's a list of the
most common symptoms:

1. Widespread pain in combination with tender spots (generally,
a physician will want to identify 11 tender spots before making
a diagnosis of fibromyalgia).

2. Chronic fatigue. Fibromyalgia sufferers often describe an
overwhelming sense of fatigue. Even after they've had eight or
more hours of sleep (thought most Fibromyalgiapatients report
difficulty getting a good night's sleep), they still often
experience fatigue throughout the day.

3. Stiffness in the joints, especially in the morning. It's
this joint stiffness which often leads doctors to mistake the
diseas for arthritis.

4. Frequent headaches and migraines.

5. Tingling in the hands, legs, arms, and feet.

6. Swelling of the extremities.

7. Not always, but sometimes, Fibromyalgia patients also report
symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Making it even more difficult to diagnosis Fibromyalgia is that
the disease often appears in conjunction with other forms of
arthritis. It's very common, for instance, for a patient to
suffer from both rheumatoid arthritis and Fibromyalgia.

While the disease has become well known for its mystery and the
challenge associated with its diagnosis, health care
professionals are more aware of the telltale Fibromyalgia
symptoms than ever before. Using the 18 specific tender spots as
guides and learning to identify pain by degress and location
have helped enormously.

Could Fibromyalgia Be Causing Your Pain?

Discussing your symptoms with your doctor is the first step
toward finding out.

About the Author: David Silva is the webmaster for About
Arthrtis Today (http://aboutarthritistoday.com), providing
information on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of
arthritis, and spanning all its various forms: rheumatoid
arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile
rheumatoid arthritis.

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