How Chiropractic Care Can Help Combat Fibromyalgia

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a disease of the central nervous system that causes debilitating and widespread body pains that cannot be pinpointed to any particular physiological cause.

This is because fibromyalgia causes the central nervous system of a patient to become oversensitive and abnormally sensitive to the impulses of pain that are received from various sensory organs in the body.

A person suffering from fibromyalgia has a central nervous system that amplifies the sensation of pain while minimizing their ability to resist and fight pain itself.

Fibromyalgia is a fairly recent discovery and is in fact disputed by certain people in the medical profession. There is however, no disputing the fact that it is a debilitating disease that makes life difficult for anyone affected by it. Fibromyalgia also gives rise to several other problems that can be linked to it.

Physical Symptoms & pain associated with Fibromyalgia

The most common visible symptoms associated with fibromyalgia include chronic body pain and psychological problems. One of the most common problems of fibromyalgia is interrupted sleep patterns. This causes a patient to feel tired even after long periods of sleep. The reason for this is that while the patient perceives his sleeping as being uninterrupted, it is in fact interrupted many times due to problems like sleep apnea and the aforementioned chronic pain.

This can lead to chronic headaches and dizziness or lightheadedness. Other problems associated with sleep deprivation such as cognitive problems and long-term and short term memory problems are also common. Irritable bowel syndrome is also a very common complaint of people suffering with fibromyalgia.

As this is a disease of the central nervous system other problems like numbness and tingling of extremities are also quite common. A person suffering from fibromyalgia can also develop a heightened sensitivity to allergens & chemicals.

In women, a common side effect of fibromyalgia is menstrual cramping.  Muscular pain due to exertion is also a common complaint and this can later translate into chronic pain which is much more difficult to deal with.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help Combat Fibromyalgia

Pain management techniques

Due to the nature of fibromyalgia being very complex, scientists and medical professionals are still trying to gain a better understanding of how it works. There are however, many ways in which the pain and other symptoms associated with fibromyalgia can be managed and reduced.

The psychological symptoms of fibromyalgia can be combated effectively with medical drugs, psychological therapy and certain lifestyle changes that eliminates stress.

There are also several ways to combat the physical pains of fibromyalgia. Chiropractic care is a very effective method of coping with this chronic pain. The process of administering chiropractic care is a detailed and complex procedure. The chiropractor first diagnoses the key reasons behind the pain and then works to alleviate the symptoms.

The chiropractor will make use of a patient’s clinical evaluation and blood tests to determine the presence of conditions like  Lyme disease, anemia, rheumatoid problems and hormonal imbalances. Other potential problems like allergies or poor nutrition are also examined. The most common problem associated with fibromyalgia that chiropractors help to manage is joint and back pain.  Chiropractors have extensive experience in dealing with these problems.

Chiropractic care has helped a large number of people from all walks of life.  Chiropractors also suggest nutritional advice and dietary changes in addition to certain lifestyle changes that can greatly help in reducing or even eliminating the pain associated with fibromyalgia. The techniques used by chiropractors to combat the pain of fibromyalgia are diverse.

The main goal of chiropractic care is to reduce the stresses and pains that are caused by fibromyalgia.  Some of the most common therapies include ultrasound stimulation and electrical stimulation of affected areas.  Massage therapy is also a very useful tool that is used by experienced chiropractors to combat skeletal and muscular pain.

Chiropractic care can also include the suggestion of beneficial exercises and stretches that can greatly alleviate the pain of muscles and joints. Dietary supplements can also be suggested to improve the overall health of the patient. A good dietary supplement help to ease gastric distress and problems like irritable bowel syndrome.

In case of the chronic body pain being aggravated, it is possible to take the right dietary supplements that overcome the nutritional deficiencies in a regular diet and help control the pain. In addition to the above a good chiropractor will also be able to give suggestions that can be used to regulate sleep patterns and improve psychological health.