Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that includes long-term, body wide pain in the muscles and connective tissues. This characteristic pain may be accompanied by fatigue, headaches, and difficulty with sleep, anxiety, and depression. Females in the age group 20 to 50 are the most likely to suffer from fibromyalgia. A definite cause has not yet been identified but research shows that those that suffer might have a difference in the central nervous system that makes them more sensitive to pain. Some suggest this difference in the CNS could have been as a result of childhood stress or prolonged periods of stress. Others suggest that physical or emotional trauma may trigger the syndrome. Since there are no definite abnormalities with a physical exam some physicians consider it controversial to diagnose the symptoms as fibromyalgia. The National Institutes of Health and the American College of Rheumatology disagree and the latter suggests a test involving nine paired tender points on the body. The points are located: 1. At the back of the neck behind the ear, where the neck muscles attach to the base of the skull. 2. About halfway between the base of the neck and the tip of the shoulder. 3. At the spot where the back muscles attach to the shoulder blade. 4. On the front of the neck above the collarbone. 5. Just to the right and left of the breastbone (sternum) about 2 in. below the collarbone. 6. On each forearm just below and to the outside of the crease of the elbow. 7. Just above and to the outside of each buttock. 8. On the outer upper leg just behind the bony part of the hip (this point is easier to find when standing). 9. On the inside of each knee. The guidelines are that when these tender points are pressed and if eleven or more have pain it is a clear diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 12:54:25 +0000
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