Journal of Pain & Relief
Open Access

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a disorder of unknown cause characterized by widespread body pain, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and often psychological distress. According to the CDC, the prevalence of fibromyalgia is about 2%, affecting an estimated 5 million adults in 2005. There is no test for fibromyalgia, so it often takes an average of 5 years to receive the diagnosis. Fibromyalgia costs the United States health care system $20 billion annually and strongly impacts families who experience lost wages and extensive out-of-pocket medical expenses. Many fibromyalgia patients find themselves underinsured or uninsured because they are often too sick to work or have been denied health care coverage and access to treatments because they have fibromyalgia. The global impact of fibromyalgia has been just as prevalent and costly, according to the European Network of Fibromyalgia Associates (ENFA 2009). In the past decade, there has been much focus and research on the fibromyalgia syndrome. Fibromyalgia is now seen to as a condition affecting the central nervous system and as a disorder of pain regulation (Gracely et al., 2002; American Pain Society 2008). New understandings into the pathophysiology of FM have introduced not only new pharmacological therapies, but new innovations in the treatment (Arranz et al., 2010; Carville et al., 2008). New diagnostic criteria have made diagnosing FM easier and focused on the QOL impact of measuring symptom severity (Wolfe et al., 2010).

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