Fibromyalgia is thought to have existed for centuries. The chronic pain disorder was first described by physicians in the early 1800’s, when doctors described a condition where patients experienced pain, stiffness, joint problems and sleep disorders that couldn't be explained by any other disorder.
The first diagnostic criteria or tender point analysis for Fibromyalgia were uncovered by a physician in 1824, who noted tender points in patients with this as yet unnamed condition.
In 1904 the term "fibrositis" was introduced by a gentleman named Sir William Gowers. Fibro refers to fiber cells or tissues in the body and the "itis" referred to generalized inflammation.
Physicians slowly began to realize however that patients with this particular condition did not exhibit any symptoms of inflammation, thus the term was rendered invalid. Instead physicians in the late 1970s began describing the condition as "fibromyalgia" where the "my" represented muscle and the aglia represented pain.
