Fibromyalgia Specialist

Understanding the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders in the United States today. In spite of this, it can be difficult to diagnose. Some patients are even accused of faking their symptoms for attention. Such an accusation can have devastating emotional consequences. The two most common symptoms of fibromyalgia are fatigue and pain in the muscles and joints. Fibromyalgia pain is usually not contained to just one area of the body, making it even more difficult for people to cope. The fatigue that fibromyalgia patients suffer often makes holding a job and managing everyday household tasks overwhelming.

Other frequent symptoms of fibromyalgia include stiffness, abdominal pain, a tingling sensation in the hands and feet, migraines or chronic low-grade headaches, inability to concentrate, urinary or bowel incontinence, irritable bowel syndrome, extreme sensitivity to cold or heat and dryness in the eyes, mouth or nose.

Conditions Similar to Fibromyalgia

The muscle stiffness associated with fibromyalgia means that it often is misdiagnosed as osteoarthritis, tendinitis or bursitis. The major difference is that then pain of all three of those disorders tends to be localized to just one part of the body. With fibromyalgia, pain is widespread.

A Woman's Disease

Women receive a diagnosis of fibromyalgia approximately 10 times as often as men do. As of late 2014, approximately 12 million people in the United States have a fibromyalgia diagnosis. This does not include the millions more who have symptoms of the disorder but have not yet been diagnosed. The typical age range at diagnosis is between 25 and 60 years old.

Only a Specialist Should Diagnosis Fibromyalgia

Because fibromyalgia mimics so many other disorders, patients should request a referral to a specialist from their primary care physician. Before doing so, it is important to understand that there is no such thing as a fibromyalgia specialist. Instead, they will likely be referred to a neurologist, pain specialist, rheumatologist, orthopedist or a psychologist if the disorder is taking a heavy toll on their mental well-being.

Each one of these specialists is equipped to run a battery of tests to rule out other possible health issues.

John Trinh has been writing for 10+ years. He first delved into the world of writing when he wrote his first article for his university's paper.