Fibromyalgia Trigger Points Test
Where are fibromyalgia tender points.
Fibromyalgia trigger points test. When a doctor tests tender points for pain she will also check other non tender places on your body called control points to make sure you don t react to. Usually they also check control points. There s also no specific test for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia so it can take time to be properly diagnosed. This test was formulated based on the concept that when a doctor presses various pre determined areas of the body with a finger people with fibromyalgia will report pain or tenderness in at least 11 points.
The primary difference between tender points and trigger points is that trigger points can produce referred pain that is they can cause pain in other parts of the body. And many family doctors were uncertain about how much pressure to apply during a tender point exam. But fibromyalgia symptoms can come and go so a person might have 11 tender spots one day but only eight tender spots on another day. They are located both above and below the waist around the neck chest shoulders hips and knees.
Fibromyalgia trigger points in the past people were diagnosed with fibromyalgia if they had widespread pain and tenderness in at least 11 out of 18 specific trigger points around their body. Fibromyalgia a chronic pain disorder is often characterized by pain in multiple tender points. Ibs sometimes coincides with fibromyalgia. When a doctor tests for fibromyalgia they check the tender points using a special instrument called a dolorimeter which exerts the right amount of pressure for testing pain threshold and tolerance.
Fortunately that s where this list of paint points comes into play which can help. In the past at least 11 of these 18 spots had to test positive for tenderness to diagnose fibromyalgia. The 18 tender points associated with fibromyalgia occur in symmetrical pairs from the back of your head to your inner knees. They re located on both sides of the body both above and below the waist.
Fibromyalgia tender points tend to be symmetrical in the body.