Fibromyalgia Symptom Checklist

The fibromyalgia symptom checklist was developed to help standardize the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome. Medical doctors have not agreed on the cause, or exact symptoms, of fibromyalgia. However, medicine also needs to organize and label conditions based on common criteria. It is a compromise that the following criteria have been established to accurately diagnose this condition.

Symptoms

* Moderate to severe pain in all four quadrants of the body for a minimum of 3 months.

* Pain and tenderness in at least 11 of 18 points shown on diagram.

Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Fibromyalgia Symptom Exceptions

These are standardized criteria, but not absolute. Many doctors will diagnose fibromyalgia in patients that do not meet the minimum 11 points of tenderness criteria. Some patients have stronger primary pain zones and still meet other diagnostic criteria. The only thing that is very clear about fibromyalgia symptoms is that they are individualized and are hard to measure up to a standard or common case profile.

The diagnostic diversity of fibromyalgia really seems to point out its true psychological / emotional cause. The symptoms are so resistant to a cure from physical treatment. The logical place to look for a true cure is in the psychological realm�

Fibromyalgia Symptom Checklist to Back Pain Home page 5/28/06 Revised 5/31/07