Is Fibromyalgia Causing My Foot and Hand Pain?

Aching feet and hands make many people ask whether fibromyalgia is the cause. Before any appointment, the first job is sorting out what you actually feel.

Could it be fibromyalgia?

It might be, but only a clinician can say so after an examination. NIAMS describes fibromyalgia this way: "Fibromyalgia , a condition of widespread muscle pain and fatigue." That wording points to pain across the body plus tiredness, not to the feet and hands alone.

What to sort out before the visit

Preparation matters more than a guess here. Work through these items in order and write each one down.

• Where the pain sits, and whether it stays in your feet and hands or shows up in other parts of the body.
• When it began and what was going on in your life around that time.
• Whether tiredness comes with it, since NIAMS includes fatigue in its description.
• Which medicines you take and which tests you have already had.

If you want background wording for your notes, a plain-language pain overview can help you describe what you feel in everyday terms.

Where to go from your notes

Spend several days keeping your notes, then read the fibromyalgia overview from NIAMS so the terms are familiar. Bring the notes to a clinician in Bloomfield or a nearby town who treats pain.

You can also look at what a professional society for pain physicians says about the specialty, and read a guide to how pain management works so you know what an evaluation may involve.

Describe first, then ask about fibromyalgia

The order matters here. Describe first, diagnose second. Ask the clinician which parts of your list fit fibromyalgia and which parts do not, and ask what would change the picture.