Nov 18 2009

What Are Fibromyalgia Tender Points?

Category: Fibromyalgia Symptomsadmin @ 5:42 am

figure1 300x289 What Are Fibromyalgia Tender Points?

Fibromyalgia Tender Points Diagram

Fibromyalgia Tender Points what exactly are they?


Fibromyalgia Remedies Presents information help you better understand fibromyalgia and how fibromyalgia tender points help medical professionals make a correct diagnosis

Fibromyalgia is a very complicated and unusual condition that for many doctors as well as patients can be difficult to diagnose. There are parameters or a list of symptoms that can point a doctor in the direction of a fibromyalgia diagnosis, for as of this time there is no blood test, CT scan, or other diagnostic test that can pin point an exact fibromyalgia diagnosis.


If you are have been feeling ill for quite some time you are probably aware of the term fibromyalgia tender points, but if you are just starting your search you may be confused by all the different and diverse symptoms that can be labeled fibromyalgia.


You are not alone, and believe me there a few doctors out there as well who are trying to come to terms with exact what fibromyalgia is.  There is one common characteristic that does seem to follow a large percentage of fibromyalgia patients, and that is the tender points.

As you can see from the diagram above that the fibromyalgia tender points are cover pretty equally both sides of the body.

•    Front lower sides of your neck
•    Upper chest
•    Inner elbows
•    Just above inner knees
•    Back of your head
•    Top of the shoulders
•    Upper back (at shoulder blades)
•    Upper buttock
•    Hips

It should be stated that the American College of Rheumatology in 1990 outlined criteria for the classification of fibromyalgia for medical professionals. The criteria determined that there are 18 tender points on the body that correspond with fibromyalgia. For a medical professional to diagnose you with fibromyalgia a person must not just display tenderness in these points as the name implies, but must feel pain when at least 11 of 18 tender points when they are pressed upon. Not every fibromyalgia sufferer will have all 18 tender points, and other symptoms can vary vastly from person to person.


In addition your doctor will be looking for widespread pain that usually lasts for more than three months.

Men and women can suffer with this chronic and misunderstood condition.  It can take many visits to a doctor or many doctors to get the right diagnosis as the symptoms of fibromyalgia do differ from person to person. It is unfortunate, but symptoms can mimic many neurological disorders, as well as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, ruptured discs, and other spinal problems. This can lead to misdiagnosis on many occasions.

You can find a more extensive list of fibromyalgia symptoms by clicking  on the hyper link.

Fibromyalgia

“It’s a common misconception that fibromyalgia is a manifestation of mental problems,” says Karin B. Jensen, postgraduate at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience.


Legitimacy of Fibromyalgia Still A Contentious Point

Medical literature has been slow to publish data on fibromyalgia. Recent studies have gone a long way in disputing the claims of Wolfe and Hadler.


Smoking may increase Lou Gehrig’s disease risk

The better-designed studies show consistently that smoking increases the risk of developing ALS, with some findings suggesting that smoking may be implicated directly in causing the disease.”


Fibromyalgia Discussions at DailyStrength

Barres added that other studies should investigate whether thrombospondin and ?2?-1 are involved in formation of synapses in the neuromuscular junction, since they are so highly concentrated.


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