Pain

Pain in medical diagnosis is regarded as a symptom of an underlying condition.

Pain in ME/CFS
Pain occurs in a wide range of forms in ME/CFS. These include:
 * abdominal pain
 * allodynia
 * arthralgia (joint pain)
 * carpal tunnel syndrome
 * chest pain
 * chronic pain
 * ear pain
 * esophageal spasms
 * eye pain
 * fibromyalgia
 * gallbladder pain
 * headaches
 * heartburn
 * hyperalgesia
 * migraine
 * muscle spasms
 * myalgia (muscle pain)
 * neck pain
 * proctalgia fugax
 * sciatica
 * sinus headache
 * vein pain, and
 * tenesmus.

Pain can also occur as a consequence of common comorbid illnesses such as endometriosis, Sj%C3%B6gren's syndrome, IBS or fibromyalgia.

Pain in Fibromyalgia
Researchers believe that fibromyalgia (FM) amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way your brain processes pain signals. Many people with FM will have other pain conditions such as:
 * tension headaches and migraines
 * temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ)
 * rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
 * lupus
 * Sjögren's syndrome
 * ankylosing spondylitis
 * irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
 * pelvic pain like menstrual cycle cramps and interstitial cystitis
 * weight gain which leads to mechanical stress on joints
 * anxiety and depression.

Symptom recognition

 * In the Canadian Consensus Criteria, pain is a required criteria for diagnosis. It requires that "there is a significant degree of myalgia. Pain can be experienced in the muscles, and/or joints, and is often widespread and migratory in nature. Often there are significant headaches of new type, pattern or severity."