Fibromyalgia

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue. People with fibromyalgia have "tender points" on the body. Tender points are specific places on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs. These points hurt when pressure is put on them.

People with fibromyalgia may also have other symptoms, such as

• Trouble sleeping
• Morning stiffness
• Headaches
• Painful menstrual periods
• Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
• Problems with thinking and memory (sometimes called "fibro fog")

No one knows what causes fibromyalgia. Anyone can get it, but it is most common in middle-aged women. People with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases are particularly likely to develop fibromyalgia. There is no cure for fibromyalgia, but medicine can help you manage your symptoms. Getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating well may also help.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

• Fibromyalgia (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Fibromyalgia (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Fibromyalgia (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Focusing on Fibromyalgia : A Puzzling and Painful Condition (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• What Is Fibromyalgia? (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Fibromyalgia Symptoms or Not? Understand the Fibromyalgia Diagnosis Process (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• 6 Things to Know about Mind and Body Practices for Fibromyalgia (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Fibromyalgia and Complementary Health Approaches (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Milnacipran (Savella) for Fibromyalgia: What Makes It Different? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Fibromyalgia Misconceptions (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Fibromyalgia Pain: Options for Coping (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Living with Fibromyalgia, Drugs Approved to Manage Pain (Food and Drug Administration)

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: fibromyalgia (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Mind and Body Practices for Fibromyalgia: What the Science Says (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Fibromyalgia (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Comparison of complex regional pain syndrome and fibromyalgia: Differences in beta...
• Article: Prevalence of depressive disorder among patients with fibromyalgia: Systematic review and...
• Article: Potency of descending pain modulatory system is linked with peripheral sensory...
• Fibromyalgia -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American College of Rheumatology
• Find a Rheumatologist (American College of Rheumatology)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Children

• Fibromyalgia (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Fibromyalgia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish