What tests are used to diagnose fibromyalgia?

Unfortunately, there are no specific tests and procedures that diagnose fibromyalgia. People with fibro are often told they're the picture of health, and it may be true. You feel like you've been run over by a Mac truck, but your X-rays are crystal clear, your blood tests are squeaky clean, and you look great. That's because you can't see fibro on an X-ray or in lab results for blood tests.

But fibromyalgia can still be accurately diagnosed. The primary way doctors diagnose fibromyalgia is based on the symptoms you experience. Symptoms include having chronic pain throughout your joints and muscles, on both your left and right side, above and below the waist, for more than three months. Your doctor may test you for tender points on your neck, shoulder, chest, elbows, hip, and knees. He or she may also order tests to make sure you do not have other conditions that have similar symptoms.

Many people go from doctor to doctor looking for a reason for their symptoms, since there are no definitive tests for the fibromyalgia. It may be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis if you cannot see a scientific measurement such as laboratory tests or X-rays. That is why so many people with fibromyalgia are misdiagnosed and ineffectively treated. Your doctor will order a few basic lab tests to make sure no other problems are present, but these tests are limited. For instance, X-rays of the painful areas will show no abnormality because the pain caused by fibromyalgia is in the soft tissues (muscles and tendons) which do not show up well on routine X-rays. 

There are no specific tests that can be used to diagnose fibromyalgia. But there are guidelines for diagnosis. In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology published the following criteria:

• Widespread pain above and below the waist, on both the right and left sides of your body, and in the axial skeleton (your skull, spine, rib cage, and the bones in your throat and ears) for at least 3 months
• Tenderness or pain in 11 of the 18 “tender points” on your body

Based on these guidelines, your doctor may perform a tender point exam. Your doctor will ask how long you have been having pain. Then he or she will apply pressure to these 18 points and count how many you find tender. Finding pain when pressure is applied to these tender points is how many doctors diagnose fibromyalgia. 

In 2010, the American College of Rheumatology published a new set of preliminary guidelines. These guidelines include a widespread pain index that assesses the number of painful body regions, and a scale that assesses the severity of symptoms such as fatigue, sleep problems, comprehension problems, and others in the body. 

By using one or both of these sets of guidelines, along with tests to rule out other conditions, it is possible for your doctor to make a fibromyalgia diagnosis. So if you think you may have fibromyalgia, talk to your doctor about what steps you can take toward an accurate diagnosis.

If you are experiencing chronic widespread pain and tenderness and are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, talk to your doctor about your treatment options. Prescription treatment, such as LYRICA, is one option you and your doctor may consider to help relieve fibromyalgia pain. In clinical studies, LYRICA was proven to provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain compared with a placebo, so patients felt better and could do more.* 

*Individual results may vary.