What Causes Fibromyalgia?

Lying in bed tonight, unable to sleep due to pain, I began thinking about what causes fibromyalgia. There, of course, have been tons of articles and opinions on this subject, so I won't rehash all those. Instead, I will tell you what I have experienced and witnessed. There are 2 different theories here, the born with it, and the trauma induced. For me, I believe I've always had fibromyalgia. I remember being a child and having horrible "growing pains". As I grew older, I didn't grow out of these pains. Even when I was in my early twenties, I had these pains, and the doctor still said they were "growing pains". Seriously, what 22 year old has growing pains (unless the growing pains come from the growing outward from the freshman 40!)? As I've gotten older these pains spread.

My cousin is from the other side of the theory. She didn't have the "growing pains". For her, the fibromyalgia came with the trauma from a car accident. The question for me is, was it latent? lying there in wait for a trauma to be triggered?

Here is something from the Mayo Clinic website regarding the causes of fibromyalgia:

Doctors don't know what causes fibromyalgia, but it most likely involves a variety of factors working together. These may include:

Genetics. Because fibromyalgia tends to run in families, there may be certain genetic mutations that may make you more susceptible to developing the disorder.
Infections. Some illnesses appear to trigger or aggravate fibromyalgia.
Physical or emotional trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder has been linked to fibromyalgia.

What side of the fence are you on? email me at alonelydragonfly@aol.com