Fibromyalgia vs. Back Pain: Understanding the Difference

If you're experiencing back pain, you may be worried that you have fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a pain syndrome characterized by chronic pain throughout the body, often with unexplained cause. To figure out if your back pain is caused by fibromyalgia, you first must understand the trademark characteristics of the condition and see if they apply to you.

Instructions

• 1

  Check for tender points. Fibromyalgia is characterized by several points around the body that are extremely sensitive to pressure. If you press down on one these points with your fingers, a patient with fibromyalgia would experience a sharp bout of pain. These tender points are often found on the hips, upper chest, back of the head, shoulders and neck. If you don't have any tender points, your back pain is likely not caused by fibromyalgia.

• 2

  Notice if your pain is brief and sharp or persistent and dull. If you experience brief, sharp, unprovoked back pains, you likely do not have fibromyalgia. Patients with this condition have constant, dull, aching pain as opposed to brief pain attacks.

• 3

  See if you are experiencing pain in a very localized area, such as the small of your back. If you are, you probably do not have fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia causes pain throughout the entire body, not just the back.