Fibromyalgia Advice Glossary
Marlene Gundlach - July 1, 2008
A glossary of some of the terms found within this site or that you may come across during your research into fibromyalgia. Click on each letter span to look up frequently used terminology.
A-E
Americans with Disability Act: Prohibits employers from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, and compensation.
Anxiety: A state of uneasiness and apprehension.
Arthritis: An illness that affects the body’s joints, causing joint pain and inflammation.
Autoimmune: An immune response by the body against its own cells or tissues.
Chronic Pain: Pain that lasts for 6 months or longer, or persists longer than the course of natural healing.
CFS: Abbreviation for chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A condition that is primarily characterized by extreme exhaustion and pain. This condition is often confused with fibromyalgia.
Depression: A form of despair that is beyond normal feelings of sadness.
Disability: A physical deficiency that interferes with normal activity.
F-K
Family Medical Leave Act: This Act requires employers to provide up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave annually to any employee for a serious medical condition of the employee or a member of the employee’s immediate family.
Fatigue: Physical or mental exhaustion often triggered by stress, medication, or illness.
Fibro Fog: Mental confusion and forgetfulness accompanying the flare-ups of fibromyalgia symptoms.
Fibromyalgia: A condition characterized by chronic pain, tender points, sleep disturbances, and muscle stiffness.
FMLA: Abbreviation for Family Medical Leave Act.
FMS: Abbreviation for Fibromyalgia Syndrome.
L-O
Lupus: An autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks and injures the body’s own organs and tissues.
Lyme Disease: A bacterial illness spread by a tick, causing severe exhaustion. Blood tests can confirm lyme disease. Often confused with fibromyalgia due to the fatigue.
Lyrica: The first prescription approved by the FDA, Lyrica is prescribed to treat fibromyalgia.
Magnet Therapy: An alternative treatment for pain where magnets are placed upon the body.
Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A syndrome characterized by trigger points, or localized areas of pain that can be felt by a doctor. These trigger points feel like knots in the muscle.
Non-Restorative Sleep: A condition where a person is not refreshed after a night’s sleep.
NREM: Abbreviation for non-rapid eye movement. One of the levels of sleep.
Oligoanalgesia: The under-treatment or ineffectual treatment of pain.
P-Z
REM: Abbreviation for rapid eye movement, the stage of sleep characterized by dreams.
Serotonin: A neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep, and metabolism.
Tender Points: Areas of the body that are painful to the touch if a person has fibromyalgia. For a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, patients need to feel pain in 11 of the 18 tender points.
Trigger Points: Tight bands of muscle tissue that are painful to the touch. When pressure is applied to these points, they cause radiation of pain throughout the body.
