More than 5 million adults suffer from the widespread pain associated with fibromyalgia, according to the National Institutes of Health. Matthew’s Family Chiropractic wants you to know that you are not alone with fibromyalgia pain.
A chiropractor is a popular yet lesser-known choice to help alleviate the pain caused by fibromyalgia. Chiropractic care can often reduce the pain in our back, shoulders, and neck during the first few adjustments. This approach is considered one of the best to alleviate fibromyalgia pain.
The most positive attribute of chiropractic treatment for fibromyalgia is that it does not require medication, drugs, or surgery.
Significant improvements in pain relief are just one of the benefits of chiropractic care for fibromyalgia patients. Chiropractic physical therapy can also help restore your flexibility and help you gain back a full range of motion.
We have seen symptoms of fibromyalgia dramatically improve with proper chiropractic care, and we want to help you see improvements, too!
Fibromyalgia Treatment in Matthews NC
People who are in pain are often confused when faced with all of the “options” when seeking relief. Acupuncture, medications, homeopathy, naturopathy, etc. It can feel overwhelming.
With so many different options of treatments available, we might ask ourselves, “Is chiropractic for fibromyalgia the best way to go?”
Recent studies show that fibromyalgia is exceptionally receptive to chiropractic treatments because of the neuromusculoskeletal nature of the disease.
What does neuromusculoskeletal mean? “Neuro” stands for nerves. “Muscul” is referring to our muscles. “Skeletal” means that the pain is in our bones. In short, fibromyalgia hurts everywhere.
Fibromyalgia symptoms can occur after repetitive injuries or infections, surgery, physical trauma, and even in cases of severe psychological stress. Fibromyalgia can even come on without any triggers at all.
Certain medical conditions can play a crucial role in the development of fibromyalgia. The following are four medical conditions that can increase the risk of fibromyalgia.
- Rheumatic diseases
- Rheumatic arthritis
- Lupus
- Spinal Arthritis
People often visit a chiropractor for pain in their back, but chiropractors can help with much more than this! There are many conditions they can successfully treat.
Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain in our bones, muscles, and nerves. A chiropractor can be just what you need to relieve the pain caused by fibromyalgia in all of these areas.
Matthews Family Chiropractic is here to answer your questions about fibromyalgia. Call today to set up an appointment or to get a second opinion About a fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Medical researchers are still working to understand the underlying causes of fibromyalgia. In some cases, symptoms of fibromyalgia begin after physical trauma, repetitive injuries, infection, surgery or significant psychological stress. In other cases, the symptoms of fibromyalgia develop without a triggering event. People with fibromyalgia may have other coexisting pain conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome inflammatory bowel disease, or endometriosis.
Fibromyalgia causes neuromusculoskeletal symptoms, which means it causes symptoms affecting the nerves, muscles and bones of the body. The neuromusculoskeletal nature of fibromyalgia makes it especially receptive to chiropractic treatments.
Chiropractic Treatment for Fibromyalgia Pain: How Does it Work?
Chiropractic treatment helps to optimize the condition and position of nerves, muscles, and bones in your body. Injuries and trauma can cause body tissue to soften and also swell. Severe enough damage can even cause the misalignment of your bones, also called subluxations. This is especially common in your spine.
When the bones in your back get out of alignment and swell, they can start rubbing against your nerves and restricting “signals”. The nerves send a message to your brain when they feel this pressure. The message is pain.
A chiropractor’s job is to stop these transmissions of pain to the brain by alleviating the pressure. They do this by realigning your bones and vertebrae. This procedure takes the pressure off of the nerves and can immediately reduce the swelling. As a Matthews chiropractor, we not only understand this condition, but our chiropractic treatment for fibromyalgia can alleviate the symptoms and help to reduce the pain.
The following list is the four ways that chiropractic treatment can help fibromyalgia pain.
Adjustments and realignments – It is believed that fibromyalgia causes your central nervous system to receive faulty pain signals to the body. A chiropractor can realign your bones and remove subluxations to help the nerves of your body establish a better connection and communication with your central nervous system. A single spinal adjustment can often relieve a lot of pain from a fibromyalgia patient. The brain can process paying more accurately when this technique is performed.
Physical therapy – It’s not uncommon for a patient with fibromyalgia to stop moving certain parts of their body because it hurts too much. What they don’t know is that the problem can get worse by neglecting the problematic area. A chiropractor will typically recommend physical therapy as a way to prevent your extremities, back, or neck from stiffening up completely. These can even consist of basic exercises and stretches that you can do at home.
Lifestyle Change – The main reason a chiropractor will recommend a change in one’s lifestyle is to help manage the pain without the use of medications. Medical recommendations such as these will ultimately be up to you and your medical doctor. However, our goal is to provide you with alternative options to consider.
Pain meds can change how you think and feel and ultimately change your everyday life. Adding exercise and self-care to your routine can be highly beneficial. Sometimes simply taking a walk can help take your mind off of the pain. Most patients desire to reduce their dependence upon pain medication long term.
Nutrition and Diet – Nutritional changes and dietary supplements are often highly recommended by most chiropractors. Nutrition plays a huge role in the severity of fibromyalgia symptoms. A simple change in your diet can even relieve some of the conditions of fibromyalgia and almost always alleviates the pain in some way.
Symptoms Chiropractors Can Treat for Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia can cause more symptoms than just widespread pain and tenderness. Memory loss and cognitive problems can also develop with fibromyalgia. This symptom is known as “fibro fog.” It can harm your entire life when fibromyalgia causes sleep disturbances and morning sickness. Another symptom of fibromyalgia is sensitivity to temperature, lights, and loud noises.
Headaches are another common symptom of fibromyalgia. Numbness of the extremities or a tingling sensation can also occur. While researchers are still working to discover the underline cause of fibromyalgia they have narrowed the disease down to a specific demographic.
Traditional views were that 80% to 90% of all fibromyalgia cases are in women. Even the most conservative estimates place the female demographic just below 60%. Most of these patients receive their diagnosis at around 40 to 50 years old. Fibromyalgia is most common in middle-aged women but has also been found in children and men of all ages.
Chronic pain is the main symptom of fibromyalgia. When you can replace man-made drugs with natural measures, like that of a chiro practitioner, you don’t just improve your quality of life. You can also increase its longevity. Chiropractic care is becoming better known for its ability to help those suffering from fibromyalgia because it doesn’t require drugs. Pain medication addiction is one of the most serious problems in America.
If you suffer from fibromyalgia, please reach out for assistance.
Call Matthews Family Chiropractic today to schedule an appointment.
