Fibromyalgia: Signs and Symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia?

  • Pain and stiffness all over the body.

  • Fatigue and tiredness.

  • Depression and anxiety.

  • Sleep problems.

  • Problems with thinking, memory, and concentration.

  • Headaches, including migraines.

  • Widespread muscle pain and tenderness are the most common symptoms.

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes widespread pain around the body. The pain stems from a problem in the way the nervous system processes pain signals. It also causes symptoms like tiredness, depression, and mental fog. 

Doctors may not immediately consider fibromyalgia when evaluating these types of symptoms, because pain is also common with many other conditions. That’s one reason why it takes an average of 5 years for people with this disorder to get diagnosed.

Knowing the type and location of your pain, and what other symptoms you have, can help your doctor arrive at a diagnosis. The faster you get diagnosed, the sooner you can get started on a treatment to relieve your symptoms. 

Main signs and symptoms

The main symptom of fibromyalgia is pain and tenderness in muscles and joints throughout your body. The pain can shift from place to place, but to meet the diagnosis criteria, you’ll need to have experienced pain for at least three months. The pain must be in a specific number of body parts and be above a specific severity score. And, you must not have another condition (like arthritis) that could explain the pain.

Fibromyalgia also causes a number of other symptoms, such as: 

  • fatigue

  • lack of energy

  • trouble sleeping

  • depression or anxiety

  • memory problems and trouble concentrating (sometimes called “the fibromyalgia fog”)

  • headaches

  • muscle twitches or cramps

  • numbness or tingling in the hands and feet

  • itching, burning, and other skin problems

Most severe symptoms

The pain from fibromyalgia can be intense and constant. It can be severe enough to keep you home from work and other activities.

In a National Health Interview Survey, 87 percent of participants reported having pain on most days or every day of their lives. 

Fibromyalgia can also cause intense emotional symptoms. Over 43 percent of people in the National Health Interview Survey had anxiety and depression that were severe enough to need medication.

Of all the fibromyalgia symptoms, fatigue can have one of the biggest impacts on your life. Constant fatigue affects more than 90 percent of people with the condition.

Fibromyalgia fatigue isn’t ordinary tiredness. It’s a bone-weary exhaustion that drains your body of energy and turns every activity into a chore.

Between 40 and 70 percent of people with fibromyalgia also have uncomfortable symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, such as:

  • diarrhea and/or constipation

  • belly pain

  • bloating

  • gas

  • nausea

And up to 70 percent have regular tension or migraine headaches, which are often severe. Headaches may stem from painful head, neck, or shoulder muscles.

More unusual symptoms

Here are a few other symptoms that you might not expect, but that can occur with fibromyalgia:

  • excess sweating

  • easy bruising

  • swelling

  • sensitivity to noise, light, or temperature

  • jaw pain

  • chest pain

  • bladder pain

  • an urgent need to urinate

  • food allergy symptoms like a stuffed nose, wheezing, diarrhea, or vomiting

How is fibromyalgia pain different from other types of pain?

Fibromyalgia pain is located in muscles and other soft tissues like joints. It’s unique in that it affects various sites all over the body. The pain is intensified because of the way the brain processes it. 

Fibromyalgia pain can be in the:

  • neck

  • middle and lower back

  • arms

  • legs

  • shoulders

  • hips

Everyone feels fibromyalgia pain differently. Some people feel it all over their body. Others feel it only in certain muscles, like in their back or legs. 

The quality of the pain can also differ from person to person. It’s been described as:

  • throbbing

  • aching

  • burning

  • shooting

  • stabbing

  • soreness

  • stiffness

The intensity of the pain can vary based on the time of day and your activity. In some people it’s worse in the morning, or after they exercise. Stress, a lack of sleep, and the weather can also affect the type and intensity of fibromyalgia pain.

Here is one account of what fibromyalgia feels like.

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