Understand My Pain Symptoms

Are Your Pain Symptoms Hard to Describe?

If so, you are not alone. Many people with chronic pain conditions (pain lasting more than 3 months) struggle to accurately describe their pain to their doctors. It’s not easy. The pain may be simultaneously located in multiple areas:

• Pain above the waist such as neck pain, shoulder pain, chest pain, and upper back pain
• Pain below the waist such as hip pain, buttock pain, leg pain, and foot pain
• Pain on the right and left side
• And at every point in between

The pain may move around. Or it may seem like it is everywhere at once.

The intensity of the pain may also change from day to day. Some chronic pain sufferers describe their pain as:

• Aching
• Deep
• Shooting
• Radiating
• Tender
• Pins and Needles

It can be frustrating for those who have chronic pain all over. This is especially true if they don’t know the source of the pain.

If Your Pain Is Both Chronic and Widespread, You Might Want to Ask Your Doctor About Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common types of chronic pain conditions. It affects over 5 million patients in the United States alone. The defining problem is chronic widespread muscle pain.

Sufferers often have other Fibromyalgia symptoms such as fatigue and concentration/memory problems.

Awareness of Fibromyalgia has increased in just the last few years. Yet, for many, Fibromyalgia continues to be a hard-to-diagnose condition. Research shows that 92% of Fibromyalgia sufferers have talked about their symptoms with a doctor. But this discussion leads to diagnosis only 24% of the time.

Why does it tend to be so difficult to diagnose Fibromyalgia? One reason is that your doctor can’t see it on an x-ray or do a blood test. Instead, he or she relies on your description of your symptoms and a physical exam. Also, many Fibromyalgia symptoms occur together with other conditions Your doctor may test you for these other conditions as well.

Could Your Pain Be Fibromyalgia?

This questionnaire may help you describe your personal experience with pain. This may lead to a better discussion with your doctor.

Explore your chronic pain symptoms.

The information provided in this interactive tool is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by a professional health care provider and is not meant to be interpreted as treatment recommendations. Always seek the advice of your professional health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing a health condition.