Many people in Kashmir silently battle a condition that is neither visible on an X-ray nor detectable in routine blood tests. Yet it profoundly affects daily life. That condition is fibromyalgia, often called the “invisible illness.”

As a pain physician, I increasingly encounter patients, predominantly women, who arrive after years of suffering, carrying thick files of normal investigations, yet living with debilitating pain, fatigue, poor sleep, and frustration. Being told “it is all in your mind” has silenced patients far too long. It is time we changed that narrative.

What is Fibromyalgia?Fibromyalgia is a chronic nociplastic pain disorder, meaning the pain arises not from tissue injury but from abnormal pain processing in the nervous system, a phenomenon known as central sensitisation. The brain and spinal cord become “over responsive,” amplifying pain signals that should ordinarily be filtered out.  Patients experience:* Widespread body pain lasting more than 3 months* Profound fatigue* Disturbed sleep * “Fibro fog” (memory and concentration issues)* Headaches, IBS, anxiety, and mood........

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