Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal disorder in which patients experience prolonged pain and tenderness in all four quadrants of their body along with severe fatigue, sleeping difficulty and other symptoms whose cause cannot otherwise be explained. Because determining if someone has fibromyalgia requires ruling out all other possible conditions that may be causing the pain, this disorder is what is known as a “diagnosis of exclusion.” Your physician may employ a physical exam and medical history, blood tests and close examination of “tender points” such as the inner knee, upper chest, back of the head, outer elbows and more to determine whether you have fibromyalgia and/or if referral to a rheumatologist is warranted.