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Fibromyalgia Essay

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Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a musculoskeletal illness (which causes chronic pain) and a chronic fatigue disorder. It can also change sleep patterns and cause the following: digestive disorders, chronic headaches, painful menstrual periods, temperature sensitivity, morning stiffness, numbness or tingling of extremities, and even cognitive memory problems. The name fibromyalgia comes from "fibro" in Latin meaning tissue, "my" in Greek meaning muscle, and "algia" (also Greek) meaning pain.(source 5)

Because symptoms are wide - ranged and studies for treatment of FMS did not begin until the 1980's, it is one of the most popularly misdiagnosed conditions in the medical world. The main symptoms are widespread pain and fatigue as well …show more content…

(Source 1) Other sources do agree that fibromyalgia patients seem to process pain differently. There is more nerve growth in the spinal cord of fibromyalgic patients than normal. The role of genetics is also being studied. Because this is such an elusive disorder, there is still so much more to be learned about it.

Diagnosis of FMS is often very difficult. There are many different symptoms that seem to be unrelated. Some of the symptoms such as fatigue overlap with many other diseases. A patient will often have to visit many different doctors before being properly diagnosed. Also, there currently is no lab test to rule whether or not a patient actually has FMS. As physicians become more aware of the disorder and its classic symptoms, it will be easier for them to diagnose it. Still, many other diseases and disorders must first be ruled out before the patient is diagnosed as having fibromyalgia. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has established some criteria for diagnosis: more than three months of muscular pain and tender points, there must be pain in all four quadrants of the body (top, bottom, left, right), and there must be at least eleven tender points (the ACR has established eighteen of these points). (Source 1)

Treatments for fibromyalgic patients may include any and/or all of the following: pain and sleep medication, anti-depressants, healthy diet, physical therapy, and

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