“Twenty years ago, it was not even recognized as a legitimate condition,” says Dr. Juan Bustillo, a rheumatologist for Lee Memorial Health System. Misdiagnosed and misunderstood. More than 12 million Americans are dealing with fibromyalgia.

Now, researchers are examining a patient’s medical history in hopes of better understanding it. “The problem lies in the center nervous system and the pain perception center. We do know by studies that the center actually gets turned on and is sort of like turning on a radio full blast and throwing away the knob and not being able to turn down that pain perception,” adds Dr. Bustillo. Fibromyalgia causes a person to ache all over. Sometimes the pain is crippling and can really wear on the body’s mind and emotions, causing fatigue, even depression.

“Fibromyalgia can occur in any age group but is seen more commonly in the 20 - 30s age groups; 40s. Although it can be seen in children rarely and in the elderly,” explains Dr. Bustillo.

While there are no exact tests to diagnose it, doctors are looking at hereditary factors. Dr. Bustillo adds, “We do know there is genetics. Patients that do have fibromyalgia can look back and find other patients in their family that also have fibromyalgia that may or may not even know it.

We use sleep medications to treat the sleep which is very important. We may use anti-depressants, certain types of anti-depressants to treat the pain. We may use muscle relaxants.” Doctors emphasize the importance of exercise. While it may not seem comfortable at first, movement can help to rectify some of the pain.