
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Fibromyalgia is a symptom-based disorder characterised by persistent widespread pain and accompanied by fatigue, poor and unrefreshing sleep, low mood or depression, and cognitive symptoms. The diagnosis is made using the 2016 American College of Rheumatology criteria [1] and, importantly, is not a diagnosis of exclusion, which has significant clinical implications for assessment and management. The diagnostic criteria assess both the extent and spread of pain, as well as the presence and severity of associated symptoms including fatigue, waking unrefreshed, and cognitive symptoms. In addition, symptoms must have been present for three months or longer. Recognised risk factors include female sex, older age, increased body mass index, the presence of medical co-morbidities, a history of poor sleep, and exposure to stressful life events or depression [2]. Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2–3% of the general population [3]. The condition has wide-ranging effects on people’s daily lives and often results in reduced ability to engage in occupational and leisure activities, social isolation, and disrupted relationships [4]. More generally, widespread pain is associated with high pain intensity, increased healthcare utilisation [5], and a history of poor outcomes following multiple interventions [6]
By Physio MattersFibromyalgia is a symptom-based disorder characterised by persistent widespread pain and accompanied by fatigue, poor and unrefreshing sleep, low mood or depression, and cognitive symptoms. The diagnosis is made using the 2016 American College of Rheumatology criteria [1] and, importantly, is not a diagnosis of exclusion, which has significant clinical implications for assessment and management. The diagnostic criteria assess both the extent and spread of pain, as well as the presence and severity of associated symptoms including fatigue, waking unrefreshed, and cognitive symptoms. In addition, symptoms must have been present for three months or longer. Recognised risk factors include female sex, older age, increased body mass index, the presence of medical co-morbidities, a history of poor sleep, and exposure to stressful life events or depression [2]. Fibromyalgia is estimated to affect 2–3% of the general population [3]. The condition has wide-ranging effects on people’s daily lives and often results in reduced ability to engage in occupational and leisure activities, social isolation, and disrupted relationships [4]. More generally, widespread pain is associated with high pain intensity, increased healthcare utilisation [5], and a history of poor outcomes following multiple interventions [6]