One set of criteria for classifying someone with fibromyalgia was developed in a 1990 study by the American College of Rheumatology.
The Social Security Administration included this criteria in their 2012 guidance to Social Security Disability claims examiners for establishing whether a person can qualify for disability with fibromyalgia.
A person could be found to have a medically determinable impairment (MDI) of fibromyalgia if all 3 of the following were true:
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A documented medical history of widespread pain
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A physical examination shows at least 11 positive pain points out of the 18 tender point spots (see diagram above)
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Medical evidence that other disorders have been ruled out as the reason for the pain