The technology that has started to go around in the world of medicine really is interesting. As time goes on, it’s hard to believe how much help we can get from all of the different advancements that have occurred in recent years.
One such advancement is known as nerve blocks, and they have been known to help with a number of different painful diseases and disorders, including fibromyalgia.
What Are Nerve Blocks and How Do They Work?
Nerve blocks are similar to other types of injections that help to reduce the amount of pain and stress that your body goes through. If you’ve ever heard of cortisone shots, they basically end up working in the same exact way.
What they do is that they “block” the nerves that you are feeling pain in. The injection is put into the area where the pain is being felt, and because of that, you get immediate relief from whatever pain you may be dealing with in that location.
Even though we’re talking about fibromyalgia here, there are lots of reasons that nerve blocks can be used. The most common reason that it is used is because of childbirth. If you’ve ever heard of an epidural, then you’ve heard of a nerve block.
The epidural blocks the nerves that cause a woman to feel pain in their reproductive organs – in some women, it ends up helping so much that they don’t feel any pain at all as a result of their labor. It’s actually quite amazing, since many women say that childbirth is one of the most painful things to go through – a couple of little shots can make it so it doesn’t hurt anymore!
The procedure is relatively simple. An anesthesiologist will help you through the procedure in a safe way. They will give you the nerve blocker through an injection. Then, as the injection is going into your nerves, you will get to sit and relax while it’s going on. It takes anywhere from a half hour to an hour, and it could be any number of different things, depending on exactly what you need to do.
What Do Nerve Blocks Do to Assist with Fibromyalgia Symptoms?
As stated above, we’re focusing on fibromyalgia here. What do nerve blocks do in order to help with the reduction of pain that happens with fibromyalgia? They’re actually quite an important tool, and many people find relief when they use it as part of their fibromyalgia treatment plan.
We’ve discussed in other articles that the main area that is affected by fibromyalgia is the nervous system. The nervous system is overreacting to pretty much everything that is going on in the body, even if it’s not something that would normally cause a person to have pain. This over sensitivity can cause a number of different problems, including the pain that you are fighting off on a daily basis if you have the disorder.
So, logically, the nerve blocks make sure that the nerves are not firing off as they usually would, thus making it so that you aren’t feeling as much pain in those situations as you would otherwise. That being said, people who use this method will end up finding a lot of relief rather quickly, which is something that is rare for those who are dealing with fibromyalgia pain and other related symptoms.
Of course, that’s not the only thing that nerve blockers do. Because you aren’t dealing with as much pain, there are other symptoms that you may have noticed that have been reduced as well. Here are some of the issues that may be alleviated by nerve blocks and similar procedures.
– Increased flexibility and range of motion. If you are feeling sore, then chances are that you’re also feeling as if you are unable to move around very easily. When you get relief from that pain, you will notice that it’s a lot easier for you to move around and do everything that you did before the pain became a real problem in your life.
– If you are worried about having the pain flare up again, you can have the procedure done again. Over time, this will make it so that your nerves are not as sensitive as they once were, thus reducing the symptoms that you feel and making it so that you are better able to cope with any pain that you may be experiencing as a result. And if a treatment that helps to reduce the pain now can also help prevent further pain, you will realize that it’s definitely worth any investment that you put into it.
– Sometimes, nerve blocks can end up being a part of a physical therapy routine. Why is that? Because it makes it easier for you to go through the motions and to do all of the different things that need to happen during your physical therapy treatment. It’s usually done by an anesthesiologist, but your physical therapist will let you know ahead of time if you will be using it in between all of the procedures that you’re going to be doing as well.
– If you have any other disorders that are related to your fibromyalgia, including digestive issues, joint motion, vulvodynia, or any other pain related issues, you can find a lot of relief from those as well.
Nerve blocks are becoming a more popular option among doctors who treat patients with fibromyalgia symptoms. The pain can get really intense at times, so having a way that you can help to relieve that pain can be a huge deal, and it can end up solving a lot of other problems that you may be having as well. If you want to consider nerve blocks as part of your pain management, have a discussion with your doctor about it. They’ll be able to let you know if it’s something that will help you or if they want to explore other avenues of pain relief first.
Further reading:
Pain Management and Nerve Blocks: http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/nerve-blocks
Nerve Blocks: http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_nerve_blocks.html
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