What is fibromyalgia and what are the symptoms?
In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) defined fibromyalgia as a clinically diagnosable condition. The diagnostic criterion is as follows: Chronic (three months or more), widespread musculoskeletal pain (all four quadrants of the body); with the presence of 11 of the 18 tender points (spots at designated muscle/tendon junctions throughout the body that are very tender when pressed on with light pressure). [1] The pain affects muscles and joints as well as the ligaments, tendons and skin. It is widespread pain, experienced in all four limbs as well as the neck, chest wall and back. It is a syndrome, meaning it is a combination of symptoms including pain and fatigue. Because FMS requires a clinical diagnosis and lacks a laboratory test to confirm the existence, FMS has historically been a controversial diagnosis. In recent years however, FMS is gaining credibility as researchers learn more about it and advocacy groups educate the medical community and the general population
