How do doctors diagnose fibromyalgia?

Aside from a patient’s description of symptoms, many doctors rely on the American College of Rheumatology’s guidelines to diagnose fibromyalgia. According to these guidelines, to receive a fibromyalgia diagnosis, the patient must have: Widespread pain in all 4 quadrants of the body for at least 3 months. read more

Fibromyalgia symptoms include widespread body pain, fatigue, poor sleep and mood problems. But all of these symptoms are common to many other conditions. And because fibromyalgia symptoms can occur alone or along with other conditions, it can take time to tease out which symptom is caused by what problem. read more

Its main symptoms -- widespread pain and fatigue-- are a lot like those of other health problems. And there’s no test or scan that can diagnose fibromyalgia, so it can be hard for your doctor to nail down what’s causing your aches and pains. If you think you could have it, pack your patience. read more