New guidelines launched for fibromyalgia syndrome

Congratulations to Dr Andreas Goebel, Consultant in Pain Medicine at The Walton Centre, who was one of the lead authors of new guidelines for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The new guidelines were recently launched at the Royal College of Physicians in Liverpool. These are the first UK guidelines for the condition and will have a significant impact on patients.

Fibromyalgia syndrome is common yet as symptoms vary, are commonly multiple and can fluctuate, a diagnosis can be difficult.

Patients may be diagnosed inaccurately with alternative conditions, only receive an FMS diagnosis after years of delay, or sometimes be inaccurately diagnosed with FMS.

The new guidelines aim to support clinicians in the diagnosis of FMS, without the need for rheumatology referral, preventing unnecessary surgery, enable patients to be placed on the appropriate treatment pathway earlier and empower patients to be more knowledgeable about their condition. 

The Walton Centre offers a variety of pain management programmes tailored to individual needs. In fact, the first Pain Management Programme (PMP) in the UK was developed at The Walton Centre in 1983. Since then, we have continued to develop our service and remain at the forefront of pain management treatment. We offer programs specifically for young patients, or those with particular chronic pains. PMP treatment is the backbone of management for patients with severe FMS, and these patients form a large part of our patient group.

Dr Goebel said: “The team of multidisciplinary professionals who worked on these guidelines included representatives from general practice, surgery, nursing, occupational health, rheumatology, orthopaedics, rehabilitation and physiotherapy as well as patients diagnosed with FMS.

“We hope the guidelines will lead to more effective and efficient diagnosis of FMS and therefore enabling more patients to access the right treatment and management of their condition, at an earlier stage.”

For more information on the new guidelines, visit: https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/guidelines-policy/diagnosis-fibromyalgia-syndrome