Take this 3-minute fibromyalgia quiz to better understand your symptoms. While not meant to serve as a replacement for a healthcare provider diagnosing fibromyalgia, this symptoms quiz can be used for your own knowledge by helping to provide you with a baseline for your level of symptom severity. You can even retake this fibromyalgia quiz again later to see changes over time as you apply your therapeutic approach.
Please note: This self-assessment is not intended to establish a physician-patient relationship, to replace the services of a trained physician or health care professional, or to otherwise be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The aim of this fibromyalgia quiz is to provide education about the condition. By filling out this self-assessment and clicking “Submit,” you acknowledge that you’ve read and agree with this statement and agree to re-origin’s Terms & Conditions.
Fibromyalgia Quiz
How Does This Fibromyalgia Quiz Work?
For each of the following questions, you will be asked to select one of the following options to indicate the frequency of your symptoms: never, very rarely, rarely, occasionally, frequently, or always. The fibromyalgia quiz uses your responses to calculate your results and determine whether your symptoms are mild, moderate, or severe. Your results will show further unique educational information, and all results are strictly confidential.
How Do I Know If I Have Fibromyalgia?
This is the question asked by many of those who suffer from invisible widespread pain or persistent symptoms that seem to have no easily discernible cause. If this is you, then you’ve come to the right place. This article will provide you with an overview and understanding of fibromyalgia as well as a way to determine the severity level of your symptoms.
Unsure where to start? The fibromyalgia quiz can help you recognize whether your symptoms fit the typical patterns seen in fibromyalgia.
re-origin offers a brain retraining program that addresses the root cause of your fibromyalgia. We’ll help reduce your brain’s pain signals so you can find symptom relief. If you’re ready to finally put your fibromyalgia in remission, join the re-origin program today.
Overview of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain
Ordinarily, pain, unpleasant as it may feel, acts as a preemptive warning that a part of our body has been injured and requires attention. Under normal circumstances, the pain signals function as they should, firing when there is damage and ceasing when the injury is addressed or treated. In some cases, however, the pain signals fire inappropriately, sending a false alarm to our brain.
This can happen for two main reasons:
- False Danger Alert: Pain signals may be triggered spontaneously, signaling the brain of a potential threat, even when no actual danger exists.
- Past Injury Confusion: Pain signals might continue to be activated in response to an injury or damage that has already healed or been addressed.
When a person experiences long-standing pain (clinically, this is defined as over three months) that persists beyond the expected recovery time or occurrs alongside a chronic (long-term) health condition, it’s defined as chronic pain or a pain disorder.
Watch the video below to hear Dr. Howard Schubiner describe the idea that ‘all pain is created by the brain’.
What Is Pain and Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a disorder represented by widespread musculoskeletal pain. For pain to be seen as widespread, pain must exist on both the left and right sides of the body as well as above and below the waist. Fibromyalgia patients report pain as being a dull constant aching that lasts for at least three months.
Common Fibromyalgia Signs & Symptoms
Symptoms of fibromyalgia go beyond musculoskeletal pain. People often experience a range of physical discomforts known as somatic symptoms. A common one is fatigue, or feeling tired and drained. They may also have trouble with their thinking processes. This can show up as cognitive disturbances, which include having a hard time focusing and a sense of fuzziness in their thoughts, often described as mental cloudiness.
The most common symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
- Widespread pain that can affect multiple areas of the body, such as the arms, legs, head, chest, abdomen, back, or hips. The pain is often described as aching, burning, or throbbing.
- Persistent fatigue or feeling drained, even after a full night’s sleep.
- Sleep disturbances, including trouble falling or staying asleep, or waking up feeling unrefreshed.
- Muscle and joint stiffness, especially in the morning or after inactivity.
- Tenderness to touch in various areas.
- Numbness or tingling in the hands, arms, legs, or feet.
- Cognitive challenges/brain fog such as difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, or mental “fogginess” (often called fibro fog).
- Heightened sensitivity to light, noise, odors, or temperature changes.
- Digestive issues, including bloating, constipation, or irritable bowel syndrome–like symptoms.
Conditions That Often Accompany Fibromyalgia
One of the most common pain disorders is called fibromyalgia (also known as fibro and FM), which is the focus of this article; however, the information provided here also applies to many of the common symptoms and secondary conditions that often accompany fibromyalgia. Some of these include:
Causes of Fibromyalgia
While it remains unclear exactly what causes fibromyalgia, one significant precipitating factor for someone to develop fibro seems to be a combination of stressful life events and an acute viral or bacterial infection. These stressful or traumatic situations can be physical stress or psychological in nature. Possible triggers for chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, include:
- Bodily Injury
- Viral infections
- Giving birth
- Undergoing an operation
- Termination or unraveling of a relationship
- Subjected to an abusive relationship
- Death of a loved one
However, there are many instances in which fibromyalgia does not develop after an obvious stressful or traumatic event.
How Is Pain and Fibromyalgia Detected?
Because fibromyalgia is not well understood, many people may be left wondering:
- How do I check myself for fibromyalgia?
- Is there a test I can take to tell if I have fibromyalgia?
Currently, there is no generally accepted or utilized medical test to specifically diagnose the condition. Rather, some fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria have been assembled to assess a person’s condition and rule out any other conditions that could be causing the symptoms associated with chronic pain and fibro. You may also take a blood test to rule out any conditions that present similar symptoms.
Even with no medical test, there are specific criteria that must be met for a formal chronic pain or fibromyalgia diagnosis. For fibromyalgia to be diagnosed, certain criteria usually have to be met. You must have pain in at least four of these five areas consistently for a minimum of three months:
- Left upper zone: left shoulder, arm, or jaw
- Right upper zone: right shoulder, arm, or jaw
- Left lower zone: left hip, buttock, or leg
- Right lower zone: right hip, buttock, or leg
- The axial zone: the neck, back, chest, or abdomen
If you’re unsure whether your symptoms warrant a visit to your healthcare provider, try taking the fibromyalgia quiz above. It can help you gauge whether your experiences align with common fibromyalgia patterns and guide your next steps in seeking professional assessment or exploring supportive approaches like brain retraining.
What are the Complications Related to Fibromyalgia?
As with any condition, fibromyalgia and chronic pain have associated complications. For instance, a major symptom of fibromyalgia is called fibro fog or brain fog. It’s a serious symptom that can cause compromised functioning both mentally and physically. Fibro fog is characterized by:
- Easy distraction
- Difficulty when conversing with others
- Short-term memory loss
- Forgetfulness
Due to these symptoms being highly social in nature, many people suffering from fibro fog are not able to work safely or effectively. Even for individuals with fibromyalgia who are able to work, there can be a reduction in productivity and a lower quality of life. The pain, fatigue, and brain fog associated with the condition can make once enjoyable activities difficult and, therefore, unenjoyable.
Because once joyful activities become painful and difficult, people may withdraw from everyday activities and become less social in general.
How Do You Treat Fibromyalgia?
Medication and self-care can play an important role in managing fibromyalgia, but long-term relief often comes from addressing the brain’s role in pain perception. Brain retraining, gentle movement, stress regulation, and other supportive practices work together to calm the nervous system and improve quality of life. No single approach does it all, but using several in harmony can make meaningful progress possible.
Brain Retraining for Fibromyalgia
re-origin focuses on addressing the root cause of chronic pain and fibromyalgia: an impaired or overactive limbic system that is constantly in “danger mode.” Our program uses the brain’s natural ability to change, called neuroplasticity, to create new, positive neural (brain cell) pathways in your mind filled with feelings of relaxation and joy. This calms the brain’s overactive threat-response system so you can reduce pain signals and sensations and potentially recover from chronic pain and fibromyalgia symptoms.
If you’re ready to find symptom relief from your fibromyalgia, join the re-origin program.
Medications
Several medications are commonly used to reduce the pain of fibromyalgia. When considering medications to manage fibromyalgia symptoms, it is important to consult with your doctor. Common medications include:
- Pain relievers: Also known as analgesics, these are medicines that reduce or eliminate pain. Examples include ibuprofen and acetaminophen (Tylenol).
- Antidepressants: These aren’t just for depression. They help with fibromyalgia by adjusting levels of certain chemical messengers in your brain, like serotonin and norepinephrine, which can influence how much pain you feel. Duloxetine and Milnacipran are examples that help manage the emotional and painful symptoms of fibromyalgia.
- Anti-seizure drugs: Although they’re primarily used to treat seizures, these drugs can also help with fibromyalgia. They calm down nerves that are too active in sending pain signals. Gabapentin and Pregabalin are common ones that help decrease the pain experienced in fibromyalgia.
Therapies
Several different types of therapies may be able to lessen the effects that symptoms of fibromyalgia have on one’s body. Common choices include:
- Physical therapy: This therapy includes exercises to help improve strength and flexibility, reduce pain, and enhance physical function.
- Occupational therapy: This therapy uses activities and techniques to help manage daily tasks and improve overall well-being.
- Counseling: This involves talking with a trained professional to understand and cope with emotional challenges, such as stress or depression.
Practical Strategies to Manage Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia
In the video below, re-origin cofounder interviews Dr. Afton Hassett, a renowned pain psychologist and Director of Clinical Trials Research at the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at University of Michigan. Dr. Hassett shares insights from her new book, “The Chronic Pain Reset,” unraveling the complexities of chronic pain, and discusses effective strategies for chronic pain management. Learn how social integration and various exercises can help you live a happier, pain-free life.
Watch below or read the blog post: Chronic Pain Reset with Dr. Afton Hassett
Hope for Healing with Brain Retraining
