Hi Sharon...

The main noticeable difference between fibro and mps is that with fibro, you get tender points on specific areas of the body. When you press on these points, it feels like pressing on a small but very tender bruise. Fibro has a long list of other symptoms, but that is the most defining one.

With mps you get what are referred to as trigger points. When you press on a trigger point with your finger, you feel pain traval along a path through your body. If you have a trigger point on your lower back and press on it, you might feel the pain shoot down through your hip and thigh. It can be very excruciating.

Both conditions produce chronic pain. Or they can both be caused by chronic pain. It's very common to suffer from all three simultaneously, as one often leads to another. I have them all.

If you look up fms on the internet, you can find "maps" of the tender point locations, and experiment by probing those areas with your fingertips to see if you feel a "hidden bruise".

Trigger points, on the other hand, may occur anywhere. But when you find one you will definitely know it's there.

Good luck, and if there's anything else you need, please feel free to ask...

Idealist