Fibromyalgia is a medical term for pain in the muscles and the tissues that surround them. Human organs are literally made of muscles. For example, colon is a muscle which is why when this muscle contracts, you experience abdominal pain. Similarly, the muscles of the back when hurt cause shoulder pain, the muscles of the uterus cause pain in the uterus and head muscles cause headaches.
Causes of Fibromyalgia
There are plenty other areas of the body where you will experience pain known as fibromyalgia. Leg pain, hip pain, elbow pain and kneecap pain and some of the pains. Knowing what exactly fibromyalgia is will let you treat for a particular pain after finding the reason for it. If fibromyalgia is present in the back, practicing good posture can help. If abdominal pain is present, lying down and stretching the abdominal muscles can relieve some of the pain. However, if the symptoms are severe and you feel that self-treatment is not good enough to cure the pain, you may want to seek medical help.
Unfortunately, many times people with fibromyalgia are seen with skeptical eyes, as though the condition doesn’t exist. Others might think that you are making up symptoms or drawing attention. What you need to do at any point with fibromyalgia symptoms is to find a doctor who will listen to you and is willing to care.
Treatments – Traditional Approach To Fibromyalgia
It is important to rule out other possible causes of your health condition before getting treated for fibromyalgia. Some of the reasonable tests to order include but not limited to complete blood count, thyroid function, arthritis check, urinalysis and iron studies. Traditional therapy for fibromyalgia starts with your doctor prescribing a combination of pain medications in order to relieve the pain. Sometimes, the doctor may suggest routine exercise. Fibromyalgia patients usually respond well to mild exercise but any excess pressure on the pain area can put them over the edge and make the pain worse. The use of muscle relaxants has been helpful to put the patient at ease as well. It can also help rebuild body’s energy and get quality sleep. In essence, stretching and gentle exercise have the same effect as those of muscle relaxants.
Treatments – Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is one of the most effective treatments to help restore loss of function due to fibromyalgia pain. It is very gentle as well as relaxing and helps build strength one step at a time. The important thing to consider here is to listen to your body’s reaction to therapy and take it slowly. There are many ways to do this. Warm water relaxation is one of them. Then there are series of exercise that a physical therapist will put you through to decrease stress in the muscles. However, you need to be very consistent in following these exercises. A chiropractor can administer physical therapy to manipulate your spine and correct the alignment thus decreasing stress around the back or spinal cord.