Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that affects nearly five million Americans. Women are more likely to display symptoms of fibromyalgia in comparison to men, as over 80 percent of people with fibromyalgia are women. The most common fibromyalgia symptoms are a feeling of widespread musculoskeletal pain, with over 97 percent of people with fibromyalgia reporting this as their primary symptom.

Pain and Tender Points

This feeling of pain is often felt throughout the body, and can be described as a dull ache or throbbing sensation. This sense of throbbing pain is most often felt in muscles, joints and tendons. In addition to the musculoskeletal pain that most people with fibromyalgia feel, other fibromyalgia symptoms include tender points along certain locations of the body. Intense pain is felt along these tender points of the body when they are touched, which include the back of the head, shoulder blades, knees, hips, elbows and neck.

Additional Symptoms

A feeling of general fatigue combined with problems sleeping are additional fibromyalgia symptoms. This feeling of fatigue can occur even after sleeping and it usually occurs in the morning and after performing any activity that is usually not strenuous. Sleep is often interrupted by pain, which often accounts for the feeling of fatigue. People with fibromyalgia also experience frequent headaches and migraines.

Other fibromyalgia symptoms include mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Nearly half of all people with fibromyalgia will experience anxiety and depressive symptoms in addition to the fatigue and musculoskeletal pain commonly seen with fibromyalgia. It is uncertain as to whether the pain of fibromyalgia causes anxiety and depression or if people with fibromyalgia are more predisposed to developing these conditions.

It is also not uncommon for people with fibromyalgia to have difficulty concentrating and become increasingly irritable. They may also encounter stomach pain and suffer from irritable bowel syndrome.