Fibromyalgia is the great impostor! It can present as depression, neck or low back aches, chest pain, headaches, panic attacks, insomnia, memory problems, tennis elbow, ear pain, plus many others. I have seen patients with so many different complaints that turn out to have this frustrating disorder. I am hesitant to give a possible presentation scenario for fibromyalgia. In short, fibromyalgia is the migraine syndrome (explained below) gone haywire. Treatment has to be directed toward controlling the migraine syndrome which can lead to a cure for fibromyalgia! Thats right; I said a cure for fibromyalgia is possible! I have had so many patients have their fibromyalgia resolve that I am optimistic that I can really make a difference in the quality of life. At a minimum, marked improvement should be expected. There are always exceptions in medicine, but they are rare.

Let me explain what I mean by the migraine syndrome. It is the outward expression of the bodys sensitivity to light, sound, smell, food, and/or stress. Some people are more sensitive than others; therefore, their reactions to different stimuli are greater. This sensitivity can be manifested in the body as migraines, sinus headaches, neck aches, palpitations, irritable bowel syndrome, motion sickness or vertigo, reactive hypoglycemia, temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), panic attacks, and/or fibromyalgia. Now thats a mouthful! Understanding what is going on with you is very important in the healing process.

Fibromyalgia is traditionally defined as a syndrome which may feature constant pain, fatigue, sleep loss, headache, TMJ, restless legs, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, irritable bowel, bladder symptoms, memory impairment among other complaints. Physical exam reveals tender points or what we call trigger points. There are 18 specific trigger points to be examined. 11 out of 18 tender trigger points are required for diagnosis; however, usually I find 16-18 out of 18 tender trigger points on most of my patients. Fibromyalgia should be treated by a headache specialist that understands that fibromyalgia comes from the migraine syndrome. An enlightened primary care physician could be your answer.