Maintaining wellness in fibromyalgia

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and multiple tender points. It is a common, multidimensional disorder that is associated with complex symptomatology and relatively poor treatment outcomes. For a large number of patients, fibromyalgia is associated with pain, fatigue, sleep dysfunction, stiffness, depression, anxiety and cognitive disturbances. This thesis examined the experience of patients living with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, with the aim of producing an empirically supported, theoretically informed, self-management intervention. The research focused on the subjective experience of patients with fibromyalgia which informed the development and subsequent delivery of a wellness based intervention to this cohort of patients.