Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes pain and tenderness all over your body. Unlike arthritis, this isn’t because you have problems with your joints, bones or muscles. It’s thought to be caused by your nervous system in your brain and spine not being able to control or process pain signals from other parts of your body.

The condition is also linked to:

• poor sleep
• feeling you can’t concentrate or remember things
• extreme and constant tiredness that doesn’t improve with sleep or rest – which is known as fatigue.

There can be many other symptoms that affect different parts of your body. The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are:

• pain – you may feel as though you’ve got pain that spreads throughout your entire body, with certain parts – such as your neck and back – feeling particularly painful
• tiredness, fatigue and generally feeling like you have no energy
• sleeping badly – waking up feeling unrested
• aching and stiffness, which often feels worse during or after you’ve been active.

It’s thought that people can inherit genes that make them more likely to get fibromyalgia, and the condition can then be triggered by an injury, physical or psychological trauma, or stress. In many cases, fibromyalgia can be diagnosed and treated by your GP, without the need to see a specialist.

They can advise you on treatments and therapies that tackle specific symptoms. These may include drug treatments. However, physical and psychological therapies can often be a more effective way of managing fibromyalgia than medication. For more information on Fibromyalgia, click here.