Fibromyalgia

The National Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Association defines fibromyalgia as a “common and complex chronic pain disorder that causes widespread pain and tenderness to touch that may occur body wide or migrate over the body” and notes that approximately ten million people in the United States currently have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, with a ratio of about 8 women to every 2 men who have been diagnosed.

Fibromyalgia symptoms, though they can of course vary in intensity over time, include fatigue, joint stiffness, sleep problems, deficits in concentration and short- and long-term memory, depressed or anxious thoughts, both migraine and tension headaches, and gastrointestinal symptoms, all of which are typically worsened by stress and the onset of co-existing conditions, such as lupus, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid conditions.

It is without questions that fibromyalgia, which currently has no cure, can negatively affect a person’s well-being and daily functioning as many people suffering from fibromyalgia experience severe fatigue, pain, and tenderness, not to mention cognitive deficits as outlined in the above, that make it difficult for them even to complete their activities of daily living, such as buying groceries, driving their children to and from school, and performing light cleaning tasks around the house, much less fulfill the responsibilities of part- or full-time employment.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed and treated for fibromyalgia but still are unable to work because of your symptoms, please contact Viner Disability Law’s Social Security disability attorneys for a free and confidential assessment of your claim for disability compensation from the Social Security Administration (SSA).