Fibromyalgia's History

Fibromyalgia is not a new disease, but it is a bit difficult to diagnose. There is documented proof that a "muscular rheumatism" was recorded back in the early 1800s. It was originally thought that swelling caused the pain that is felt by fibromyalgia patients and this misconception lasted about a hundred years. It was not until 1913 when a physician by the name of Luff discovered that barometric pressures affected fibromyalgia patients.

The causes of it are still not known, but many guesses have been hypothesized from brain disorders, trauma initiated, sleep disturbances, brain abnormalities such as chemical imbalances, etc. Some studies have been done to ascertain how pain reactions are perceived in the brain. There are two types of fibromyalgia, primary and secondary, with primary being the most common of the two. Secondary fibromyalgia is harder to treat and diagnose, but it tends to happen after surgery, head/neck injuries and ankylosing spondylitis. This type shares symptoms with primary fibromyalgia. There has been some proof that this disease is hereditary and is passed down from mother to child.

Fibromylagia used to be thought of as a wastebasket disorder or fad disorder due to the fact that it shared symptoms with so many other diseases. When all of those were ruled out, you just ended up with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. A majority of those diagnosed with this disease are female and have more severe symptoms than their male counterparts. Knowledge and acceptance of this disease has been slow in coming, but it is getting there. Physicians are being trained more on how to treat and diagnose this disease so that patients are better taken care of.