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Measuring Pain in Fibromyalgia

© Cynthia Webber (Jausten)

The one symptom that those of us with fibromyalgia seem to all have is pain. There are many ways to deal with the pain, and these range from taking narcotics to meditation. Some of us need narcotics, and others of us can manage our pain levels by the use of antidepressants, muscle relaxants, massage, mild exercise, or even by distraction.

Some physicians are reluctant to prescribe narcotics for chronic pain, and one way to convince them that people with chronic pain are suffering needlessly is to document our pain in such a manner that it can be measured. There have been studies done which show that people with chronic pain do not become addicted, but getting our own personal physician to believe that when he/she may be under attack by the health care system when they prescribe narcotics is something that we can deal with by keeping a record of our pain.

Kealalaina's Fibromyalgia Page is a good place to begin to learn more about the pain of fibromyalgia. She has also put together a Pain Diary which can be printed out, duplicated, and used to record pain levels several times during the day. She has also taken into consideration other physical symptoms, emotions, and even the weather conditions.

This pain diary is a useful tool for individual use, and with several weeks documented, it can be taken to a physician to give him/her a more in-depth record of our pain.

The diagnosis of fibromyalgia can only be made by a qualified physician who understands the criteria for the diagnosis of FMS. This criteria is from the 1990 American College of Rheumatology which says that for a diagnosis of FMS, the patient must have at least three months of widespread pain, and pain induced by digital palpation of four kg of pressure at 11 or more of 18 anatomically defined Tender Point sites.

In fibromyalgia, the pain induced by a painful stimulus is localized in the tender point site. With myofascial pain syndrome, the pressure produces a referral of pain to an area of the body away from that point. The Tender Point Index (TPI) is the digital pressure by a qualified physician's fingers, while the Average Pain Threshold (APT) is measured by a pressure algometer over each tender point. A pressure algometer or dolorimeter is a device that is used to measure the degrees of pain, while the APT is the average of all pressure pain threshold values for all 18 sites.

The copyright of the article Measuring Pain in Fibromyalgia in Fibromyalgia is owned by Cynthia Webber (Jausten). Permission to republish Measuring Pain in Fibromyalgia in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.