Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts longer than 3 months. That’s the main symptom of Fibromyalgia: widespread muscle pain that lasts longer than 3 months. Widespread pain is defined as pain both above and below the waist and on both the right and left sides of the body.
At its best, Fibromyalgia may be described as “mild.” At its worst, intense pain can get in the way of doing normal day-to-day activities.
Some Fibromyalgia sufferers describe their pain as “all over” or “everywhere.” For some people, the pain and stiffness are worst when they wake up. Then it improves during the day. Symptoms may increase again at night. But other people have all-day, non-stop pain. This could include combinations of neck pain, arm pain, shoulder pain, back pain, hip pain, knee pain, feet pain, and pain in just about every other body part.
“My eyelashes and tips of my hair are the
only parts of me that don't hurt.”
The pain may get worse with physical activity, stress, or anxiety. Fibromyalgia patients may also be more sensitive to things around them. This may include heat/cold, bright lights, loud sounds, and more. Even a gentle hug could be painful.Read more about the unique qualities of Fibromyalgia pain.
Pain is the core symptom of Fibromyalgia, but different people feel the pain in different ways. Fibromyalgia pain may be felt as:
| Description | Real Voices of Fibromyalgia |
| Chronic pain | “I feel pain all over my body. Some days are better than others, but the pain is always there.” |
| Deep pain | “It is in the deep tissues. You can’t massage it out. It’s not just the surface. I can’t penetrate to where the pain is originating from.” |
| Widespread pain | “It is hard to explain where my pain is, it seems like it is everywhere else except some specific place.” |
| Aching pain | “Sometimes it is like a constant ache that is there, then you get up, you move around, it goes away and then it pops up someplace else.” |
| Radiating pain | “There are days that I have sharp pains that radiate down from my neck to my arm like a lightning bolt that strikes higher up, down to my arms, my hands.” |
| Shooting pain | “...shooting pain that sometimes I get in my shoulders and my neck, like a stabbing pain.” |
| Tender pain | “My body is so sensitive and tender that it hurts to be hugged.” |
Other Common Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Additional common Fibromyalgia symptoms may be felt as:
| Description | Real Voices of Fibromyalgia |
| Sleep disruptions | “I wake up feeling unrefreshed even after a full night’s sleep.” |
| Fatigue | “I feel very tired at times. Sometimes I feel so worn out and drained that I can’t take care of my family like I want to.” |
| Problems with memory and thinking clearly (sometimes called "fibro fog") | “Sometimes I have difficulty focusing. It’s like my mind is in a fog.” |
| Problems with depression and/or anxiety | “For so long the doc had told me I was depressed and I said, ‘Well I'm in pain all the time, of course I'm depressed.’” |
| Overlapping conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, restless leg syndrome, migraines, and others | “It feels like I have this aura of pain that follows me wherever I go.” |
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