Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia Evidence

For many centuries, non-specific muscle pains were known as rheumatism. In 1904, Gowers coined the term fibrositis or ‘inflammation of the fibers.’ In 1976, fibromyalgia became the term used to describe the condition of widespread muscle pain and tenderness. It is also associated with fatigue and depression. The American College of Rheumatology published the first criteria paper on fibromyalgia in 1990.  The exact mechanism of fibromyalgia is not completely understood. That makes it difficult to treat. There has been a lot of trial and error over the years. People with fibromyalgia have often ended up in pain management due to medicine’s poor understanding of the condition and sparse guidelines for treatment. This has led to many people becoming dependent on opiates, which have not been shown to be effective in treating fibromyalgia.