Fibromyalgia is a medically unexplained disorder in which a patient experiences constant, or intermittent but regularly occurring, pain. The underlying cause of the pain cannot be identified, and the pain typically presents as muscle pain, or shooting pain in localized or wider areas of the body. Stiff joints, sleep disturbances, bladder and bowel difficulties, difficulty swallowing, depression and anxiety are also symptoms of fibromyalgia. Currently, the condition is classified as being musculoskeletal or neuropsychiatric in origin. Management options consist of pain medications, antidepressants, muscle relaxants and anticonvulsant drugs. Increased levels of physical activity are also associated with better symptom control, according to recent studies.
