Fibromyalgia is a noninflammatory, chronic arthritis that causes widespread pain throughout the body, though without the degenerative damage to joints that is associated with inflammatory or autoimmune types of arthritis. Tension myositis fibromyalgia is a term coined by Dr. John Sarno, according to The Mind-Body Medicine Center, St. John Providence Health System. This pain syndrome is attributed to emotional tension.
Musculoskeletal Pain
The muscular and joint pain of myositis fibromyalgia is characterized by a widespread pattern that affects all four quadrants of the body--above and below the waist and on both sides--and is present consistently for three months or more, according to USA Today's Health Encyclopedia. Morning stiffness and tenderness around the joints also typically occur with this condition. Myositis fibromyalgia symptoms tend to involve the neck, back, arms and pelvis. The pain pattern frequently mimics other conditions but is challenging to diagnose, because, although it may be present concurrently with other diseases, no definitive laboratory test or biological marker for inflammation, autoimmunity or degenerative joint or muscle changes is used to diagnose fibromyalgia.
Extreme Tenderness
Historically, a diagnosis of fibromyalgia has relied on the symptom picture, which has included extreme tenderness to moderate pressure at 11 of 18 identified commonly involved sites. These recognized sites include points at the base of the skull, front of the neck, shoulders, upper back, hips and knees. More recently, consensus among health professionals has eased this requirement, citing that the criteria were established for research purposes and may not reflect a real-life situation with accuracy. One study, in the March 1996 "Journal of Rheumatology," recommends that it is not necessary to have the required degree of tenderness at 11 sites concurrently in order to qualify the diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Fatigue
As much as 90 percent of myositis fibromyalgia patients report moderate to severe fatigue as a major symptom, according to the website Fibromyalgia Symptoms. The fatigue associated with fibromyalgia may last months and often stems from disturbed sleep or a pattern of sleep whereby the person falls asleep easily and stays asleep but wakes up unrefreshed. Getting more sleep doesn't seem to improve the fatigue. The result is a cycle of increased sensitivity to pain, which worsens the fibromyalgia. Fatigue also imposes limits on the ability to exercise to keep muscles healthy, further contributing to increased levels of muscle and joint pain.
References
- USA Today: Fibromyalgia
- Journal of Rheumatology: The fibromyalgia syndrome: a consensus report on fibromyalgia and disability
- Fibromyalgia Symptoms: Fatigue in Fibromyalgia
- St. John Providence Health System: Back Pain and Tension Myositis Syndrome
- Science Daily: Pain In Fibromyalgia Is Linked To Changes In Brain Molecule
