Diagnosis

No specific test or procedure can show that you have fibromyalgia (FMS). However, your health care provider can gather important information from talking to you and doing an exam. During the exam, your health care provider will apply pressure to certain places on your body to learn if those areas are abnormally tender. This type of exam is based on criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for research purposes. Many health care providers use these two criteria as tools to help them diagnose FMS. According to the ACR, you may have FMS if you have the following:

• Widespread pain throughout your body for at least 3 months. Widespread pain includes pain in all four quadrants and midline of the body. 

• At least 11 out of 18 specific tender points. (Note: Some health care providers believe that people who have FMS can have less than 11 tender points).

FMS often occurs together with other chronic disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, and chronic fatigue syndrome.  Thus, your health care provider may order tests to “rule out” or find any other disorders that you may have. Sometimes it takes years before a person is accurately diagnosed.



Medical Illustration by R. Annie Gough, CMI © 2008, All Rights Reserved