The cause of fibromyalgia remains unknown, but there are many possible theories to what cause fibromyalgia to develop. Please keep in mind these are just six possible causes and there are likely more not listed in my article . For my article I am just listing the most talked about causes.

1. Hereditary.

Believe it or not fibromyalgia can be hereditary. If there is a family history of fibromyalgia, you have a higher chance of developing it. However, little is known about the genetic basis of fibromyalgia. More research is needed. A 2014 study suggests that a person is 8.5 times more likely to get diagnosed with fibromyalgia if a first degree relative has fibromyalgia.

2. Physical trauma

Any form of physical trauma is believed to possibly trigger fibromyalgia. It could be trauma from an injury from being in a vehicle accident or even an injury such as a broken bone. I often tell health care providers I think my fibromyalgia began from a knee injury. The spring of 2019, I tore the meniscus and MCL in my knee. Shortly after it “healed” fibromyalgia symptoms began to surface. Keep in mind there are many forms of physical trauma – a vehicle accident to an abusive relationship.

3. Emotional trauma

Experts believe that emotional trauma can also be a cause of fibromyalgia. Emotional trauma can happen in many situations. Dealing with the loss of someone you were close to can possibly cause fibromyalgia. I was also told by a doctor in 2015, he believed I had fibromyalgia symptoms after I lost my father to cancer. I shrugged it off because the symptoms were so minor back then and only affected me in the fall for a few weeks. Again, abusive relationships also cause emotional trauma. There are many other examples, but for my article I am only listing these two.

4. Built up toxins in the body/gut

There are theories out there that the build up of toxins in your body are the root cause of fibromyalgia. I have not done much research on this specific theory, so I won’t comment/explain any further. I will say this though…the body removes toxins and waste from our bodies while we sleep. Many of us with fibromyalgia suffer from insomnia or sleep issues. Since this removal takes place while we sleep, can inconsistent sleep cause our body to not properly filter toxins and waste – resulting in toxicity and causing fibromyalgia to form? I don’t have the answer! Just food for thought!

5. Stress

I personally believe being exposed to high amounts of stress can cause fibromyalgia. There is also a lot of research stating stress can trigger fibromyalgia to develop! Any form of stress! We all know that extreme amounts of stress is not good for our body – eventually our body says enough and respond in one way or another. Maybe for those of us with fibromyalgia that was our body’s response – developed fibromyalgia while others may respond with just getting sick with a cold.

6. Illness

When we are sick with anything our body is put under stress. Could contracting a certain virus/ bug contribute to fibromyalgia developing? I know a few who contacted the Epstein Barr virus and later got diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Some viral infections have been linked to the development of fibromyalgia. When I attended an online fibro summit, a speaker spoke about seeing an increase in fibromyalgia diagnosis’s for those who had contracted covid19. Is it really fibromyalgia or long-covid symptoms?! Once again, I do not have the answer.

In the future, researchers may eventually be able to pinpoint what causes fibromyalgia to develop in some people and not others. More research is needed!