Fibromyalgia Glossary of Terms

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Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

Acupuncture: The practice of inserting needles into the body to reduce pain or induce anes...

Antidepressant: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Antidepressants: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, w...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

Biofeedback: A method of treatment that uses a monitor to measure patients' physiologic in...

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

Cerebrospinal fluid: A watery fluid that is continuously produced and absorbed and that fl...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Chronic fatigue syndrome: A debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fa...

Chronic pain: Pain (an unpleasant sense of discomfort) that persists or progresses over ...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Cymbalta: Brand name for duloxetine hydrochloride, a drug approved by the FDA to treat maj...

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Fibromyalgia: A disease characterized by chronic pain, stiffness, and tenderness of muscle...

Fibrositis: Also known as fibromyalgia. See: Fibromyalgia

Hip pain: Hip pain is the sensation of discomfort in or around the hip joint, where the up...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Insomnia: The perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep due to a number ...

Memory: 1. The ability to recover information about past events or knowledge. ...

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Muscle relaxant: Muscle relaxant is a term usually used to refer to skeletal muscle relaxa...

Muscular: Having to do with the muscles. Also, endowed with above average muscle developme...

Myofascial pain syndrome: A condition characterized by chronic pain in the muscle tissues...

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Neck pain: Neck pain is the sensation of discomfort in the neck area. Neck pain can result...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Parkinson's disease: A slowly progressive neurologic disease that is characterized by a fi...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Relaxant: Something that relaxes, relieves, or reduces tension. For example, a muscle rela...

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the nonsurgical evaluation...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

Shoulder: A structure made up of two main bones: the scapula (shoulder blade) and the hume...

Shoulder pain: Pain in the shoulder due to an injury or disease. The design of the shoulde...

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Sleep disorders: Any disorder that affects, disrupts, or involves sleep. The most common...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Stage: As regards cancer, the extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spre...

Steroid: One of a large group of chemical substances classified by a specific carbon struc...

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...