The longer a chronic pain state exists the more difficult the treatment. The hope of full recovery diminishes with time. With better recognition of PTFS, hopefully diagnosis can be made quickly, and appropriate treatment initiated. Another road block confronting PTFS patients is the perception that they are malingering or are exaggerating their symptoms. There is no doubt that such exaggeration exists, but it is rare.
Secondary gain is another issue.
Patients with FS are in pain and want relief. Moreover, they want those closest to them to offer comfort. It is not inconceivable that some may adopt certain forms of behavior that help them obtain those goals, especially if they have been told that there was nothing wrong with them, or were made to feel in some way responsible for their disorder. The physical examination and dolorimeter testing in these patients, however, demonstrated that these patients have a definable soft-tissue rheumatism disorder, and that there was no evidence of malingering. On the contrary, the patients with PTFS were very helpful to the examiner.