Widespread musculoskeletal aches, pain and stiffness, soft tissue tenderness, general fatigue and sleep disturbances are the symptoms of firomyalgia (FM) which is a chronic pain illness. The sites of pain include the neck, back shoulders, pelvic girdle and hands. Approximately 5-7% of the U.S. population has FM.The most affected are men and children.The presence of multiple tender points characterizes FM.

The pain is profound, widespread and chronic. The pain has been described as deep muscular aching, throbbing, twitching, stabbing. Numbness, tingling and burning represent the neurological complains and add to the discomfort of the patient. The pain is worse in the morning. The factors that aggravate the state of the patient are cold/humid weather, non-restortative sleep, physical and mental fatigue, excessive physical activity, physical inactivity, anxiety and stress.

Many people complain of fatigue but the fatigue of FM is much more than being tired. It's an exhaustion that interacts with the simplest daily activities. The body feels like remaining out of energy and the functions of ability both mentally and physically are reduced. The patients present sleep disorder that prevents them from getting deep, restful, restorative sleep. The doctors found some distinctive and specific abnormalities in the stage 4 deep sleep of FM patients. Individuals of FM are constantly interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity, limiting the amount of time they spend in deep sleep.

Other symptoms are the following: irritable bowel and bladder, headaches and migraines, restless legs syndrome, impaired memory and concentration, skin sensitivities and rashes, dry eyes and mouth, anxiety, depression, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vision problems, Raynaud's Syndrome, neurological symptoms and impaired coordination.

These are some characterizations of the side effects of fibromyalgia, but happily there exist other modalities to prevent their apparition.