Updated on June 7, 2023.
Despite the fact that fibromyalgia is widely acknowledged to be a medical illness, myths regarding this poorly understood condition persist. So it's worth addressing some of the biggest fibromyalgia misconceptions.
Myth: Fibromyalgia is all in your head
Truth: Fibromyalgia is a real medical condition, which includes specific medical criteria for diagnosis. And fibromyalgia researchers are learning more and more about it. In fact, we now know that the nervous systems of people with fibromyalgia process pain signals differently than people who don't have the condition.
Myth: Only lazy, inactive people get fibromyalgia
Truth: Researchers actually suspect that many people who develop fibromyalgia are not lazy. They're actually driven people, and that the stress of that drive may play a role in wearing away a person's defenses against fibro symptoms.
MYTH: There are no effective fibro treatments.
Truth: Here's the good news. Ongoing research on fibromyalgia is helping healthcare providers pinpoint better, more effective fibro treatments. The catch is that what works for one person may not work for another, so you need to work closely with a clinician to refine and modify your fibromyalgia treatment.
