What is fibromyalgia syndrome?

Not arthritis: Fibromyalgia is a chronic painful condition that includes non-restful sleep, severe daytime fatigue, and painful hypersensitivity to light touch. It is not an arthritic nor an autoimmune condition. As many conditions such as hypothyroidism can have similar symptoms, careful diagnosis needs to be made by a doctor who is familiar with the condition and after other diagnoses have been excluded.

Fibromyalgia: Fm is a common syndrome associated w/widespread pain; may be accompanied by fatigue, sleep disturbances, stiffness, cognitive/ memory problems, anxiety, depression. To meet criteria for diagnosis: widespread pain in all 4 quadrants of body for >3 months and 11-18 tender points (determined by md). Cause is unknown however research looks to a disorder of central processing and pain amplification.

Muscle pain: Fibromyalgia is widespread pain from widespread chronic muscle spasms secondary to tilted body due to pelvic girdle instability cased by injury to pelvic girdle ligaments. Mechanical injury, childbirth, and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome potentiate fibromyalgia.