People Suffering From Fibromyalgia

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Many people often jump to the conclusion they have this disorder if they experience aches and pains. Let it be known that people with 11 or more tender points are likely to have fibromyalgia. For those who are unaware, this chronic pain disorder or syndrome causes people pain and stiffness, fatigue, trouble sleeping, numbness or tingling in areas of the body, and other painful symptoms in their hands, neck, back and shoulders.

The American College of Rheumatology has reported that fibromyalgia affects three to six million Americans. This affects about 1 in 50 Americans. Men, women and children can suffer from this disease, but most are women of child bearing age. The cause of fibromyalgia is still unknown, but scientists do think some of the causes may be due to an injury or trauma that affected the central nervous system.

Most people will see many doctors before being diagnosed, due to the main symptoms of fatigue and pain combined with other conditions. There are currently no lab tests that a doctor can use to diagnose fibromyalgia. This has some doctors concluding that the patients pain may not be real. It takes a doctor that is very familiar with the symptoms to make the diagnosis.

Many doctors are not familiar with the treatment of fibromyalgia; it takes a team of a doctor, physical therapist and other health professionals. Research is still being done. There are also no medications that are approved by the FDA for treatment of fibromyalgia, but there are medications that are developed and approved for other purposes.