Use our pain assessment tool. Take the results to your next doctor appointment.

Find support and resources. Connect with others who have Fibromyalgia.

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1. How long have you had pain?

Insight: At this point, your pain is not considered "chronic." The American College of Rheumatology developed guidelines to diagnose Fibromyalgia. Pain for at least 3 months is one guideline.

Voices of Fibro:

I can't get rid of the pain. It feels like it has been going on for years.

Insight: The American College of Rheumatology developed guidelines to diagnose Fibromyalgia. Pain for at least 3 months is one guideline. At this point, the pain is considered "chronic."

2. Where do you feel pain?
(Check all that apply)

Voices of Fibro:

It is hard to explain where my pain is, it seems like it is everywhere else except some specific place.

Insight: Chronic widespread pain is the defining feature of Fibromyalgia.

Insight: Chronic widespread pain is the defining feature of Fibromyalgia.

Since you do not have "widespread" pain, you may not have Fibromyalgia. Do you wish to continue the tool?


3. Is your pain accompanied by any of the following?
(Check all that apply)

Voices of Fibro:

My body is so sensitive and tender that it hurts to be hugged.

Insight: People with Fibromyalgia have been shown to experience pain differently from other people. But Fibromyalgia symptoms can vary from person to person. The common factor is widespread, all-over pain.

Voices of Fibro:

… like a constant ache, then you get up, you move around, it goes away and then it pops up someplace else.

Insight: People with Fibromyalgia have been shown to experience pain differently from other people. But Fibromyalgia symptoms can vary from person to person. The common factor is widespread, all-over pain.

Voices of Fibro:

Sometimes the pain feels like a flu-like ache—like the bones hurt and you're really weary.

Insight: People with Fibromyalgia have been shown to experience pain differently from other people. But Fibromyalgia symptoms can vary from person to person. The common factor is widespread, all-over pain.

Voices of Fibro:

… radiating pain. Depending how I move my head, it will shoot up my neck. It starts in one area and spreads out like a firecracker.

Insight: People with Fibromyalgia have been shown to experience pain differently from other people. But Fibromyalgia symptoms can vary from person to person. The common factor is widespread, all-over pain.

Voices of Fibro:

I'm stiff in the morning when I get up out of bed.

Insight: People with Fibromyalgia have been shown to experience pain differently from other people. But Fibromyalgia symptoms can vary from person to person. The common factor is widespread, all-over pain.

4. In the last week, how many days have pain and fatigue interfered with your daily living?
(Check one)

Voices of Fibro:

I feel pain all over my body. Some days are better than others, but the pain is always there. It's like I can't get a vacation from my pain.

Insight: The symptoms of Fibromyalgia vary from mild to severe. It can significantly impact quality of life and limit the ability to be active or even functional.

5. Does your pain interfere with your ability to do any of the following things?
(Check all that apply)

Voices of Fibro:

Fibro has made it impossible for me to have a regular job because if I work for two days or three days, I get so tired that I just can't wake up.

Insight: For some people with Fibromyalgia, activities they once took for granted, like performing well at their jobs, taking care of their families, chores or socializing, can become difficult.

Voices of Fibro:

Sometimes I feel so worn out and drained that I can't take care of my family like I want to. I can't even play with my children.

Insight: For some people with Fibromyalgia, activities they once took for granted, like performing well at their jobs, taking care of their families, chores or socializing, can become difficult.

Voices of Fibro:

I feel like I've just jogged a mile after I walk through a supermarket. If I bump into something, that can wear me out when all I was doing was buying some shampoo.

Insight: For some people with Fibromyalgia, activities they once took for granted, like performing well at their jobs, taking care of their families, chores or socializing, can become difficult.

Voices of Fibro:

I am not the person I used to be. My “want to's” are greater than my “can do's.

Insight: For some people with Fibromyalgia, activities they once took for granted, like performing well at their jobs, taking care of their families, chores or socializing, can become difficult.

6. Does your pain affect your sleep?

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being "Occasionally, I don't sleep as well as I'd like" and 10 being "I feel like I hardly sleep at all," how would you rate the extent to which your pain affects your sleep?
(Check one)

Voices of Fibro:

I'm tossing and turning. I don't know what wakes me up, it is not necessarily the pain. I wake up feeling unrefreshed even after a full night's sleep.

Insight: People with Fibromyalgia often sleep lightly and wake up during the night.

7. Does fatigue interfere with your daily life?


On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being "Occasionally, fatigue is a problem for me" and 10 being "Fatigue makes it hard for me to complete almost any task," how would you rate the extent to which your fatigue affects your life?
(Check one)

Voices of Fibro:

Sometimes I am so tired it feels like I hit a wall. I just have no energy.

Insight: People with Fibromyalgia may often feel tired throughout the day.

8. Do you have problems with your memory or concentration?


On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being "Occasionally, I have problems with memory/concentration" and 10 being "My memory or concentration problems make it hard for me to complete most tasks," how would you rate the extent to which your memory/concentration problems affect your life?
(Check one)

Voices of Fibro:

I have difficulty remembering things. Sometimes I will walk into a room and forget why I am there.

Insight: Some people with Fibromyalgia say that they have trouble concentrating, have memory lapses, and sometimes feel confused. These problems have been referred to as "fibro fog."

9. Have you been diagnosed with any pain-related conditions (excluding Fibromyalgia)?


What pain-related conditions have you been diagnosed with?
(Check all that apply)

Voices of Fibro:

It feels like I have this aura of pain that follows me wherever I go.

Insight: As many as 80% of Fibromyalgia patients report symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Insight: On average, half of Fibromyalgia patients report symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

Insight: 75% of Fibromyalgia patients report symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD)

Insight: On average, half of Fibromyalgia patients report symptoms of tension and migraine headaches

Insight: Fibromyalgia sufferers often have other overlapping pain-related conditions. This can complicate diagnosis.

10. Do you have depression or anxiety?

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being "Occasionally, I feel depressed or anxious" and 10 being "My depression and/or anxiety makes it hard for me to function," how would you rate the extent to which your depression or anxiety affects your life?

Voices of Fibro:

For so long the doc had told me I was depressed and I said, 'Well I'm in pain all the time, of course I'm depressed.

Insight: Some people with Fibromyalgia feel "blue" or "down"—especially when their condition goes undiagnosed and untreated. Others feel anxious.

11. Have you been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia?

Voices of Fibro:

Not knowing or understanding the cause of my pain is so frustrating, confusing, and unsettling. I can't combat the pain until I know the source and understand it.

Insight: It takes an average of 5 years to get an accurate diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.

Voices of Fibro:

One physician said, ‘I know what you have. Fibromyalgia.' That was my turning point.

You have completed the interactive pain tool. To print the results, go to My Results.

You may also wish to visit:
Common Fibromyalgia Symptoms/Voices of Fibromyalgia
Misdiagnosis and Overlapping Conditions
Myths and Facts About Fibromyalgia

12. What are you doing to treat your Fibromyalgia?
(Check all that apply)

Voices of Fibro:

Treatment gave me a part of my life back that I hadn't had in over 10 years, a part that I thought was never, ever coming back. It did come back, and I was so grateful.

Insight: Living with Fibromyalgia can be a challenge. But there are many things you can do that may help.

Describe My Pain

1. Pain Length

2. Location of Pain

3. Additional Pain Symptoms

Impact of My Pain

4. Days of Pain

5. Pain Interferes With

6. Pain Affects Sleep

7. Fatigue

8. Memory Problems

Managing My Pain

9. Other Pain Related Conditions

10. Depression

11. Fibromyalgia

12. Treating Fibromyalgia