Living With Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a constant battle. Symptoms can flare without warning, and they can impact your quality of life. Learning to manage your symptoms is the key to improving your health and wellness. 

Our team at Advantage Spinal Dynamics understands the difficulties associated with fibromyalgia, so we put together this blog post to help you control this complicated disorder.

How fibromyalgia affects your body

Fibromyalgia is a complex disorder because of its wide range of symptoms. Aside from chronic pain and muscle fatigue, some other symptoms include:

• Sleep problems (insomnia)
• Vertigo
• Sensitivity to sounds, lights, or temperatures
• Cognitive symptoms (disorientation, unable to focus)
• Bladder issues
• Panic attacks
• Depression and anxiety

Fibromyalgia symptoms are tricky; they may go away for a time or be persistent. It’s difficult, but not impossible, to control.

Natural remedies

Making lifestyle changes can improve your symptoms. Natural remedies like exercise, good sleeping habits, and a good diet are great ways to improve your symptoms.

Managing stress

Stress makes other symptoms worse and harder to control. It can make you anxious, which impacts your sleep and mood. Quality sleep is important when managing fibromyalgia, so reducing stress is critical, too. 

Start practicing meditation and yoga. These activities teach you to relax with breathing techniques. Massage therapy, acupuncture, and cognitive behavioral therapy also promote relaxation.

Exercise

Exercise is an effective way to manage the physical symptoms of fibromyalgia. Muscle pain and stiffness improve as you build strength and balance. 

Aerobic exercise, like swimming and walking, provides great benefits. Yoga can relieve muscle stiffness and lower your stress levels, too. Advantage Spinal Dynamics can help you set up a safe plan to avoid injury.

Better sleeping habits

Quality sleep is important for managing stress, fatigue, and improving your mood. Cut back on coffee during the day and screen time at night. Also, go to bed, and wake up at the same time every day, so your body gets used to a set sleep schedule.

Healthy diet

Your diet can make your symptoms better or worse. Add plenty of nutrient-rich foods to help you feel better and give you energy. Certain drinks can make your symptoms flare. Too much coffee makes sleep problems more likely, and it’s linked to more pain.

Therapies

Therapy is a great way to ease pain, promote wellness, and set the stage for long-term management. Advantage Spinal Dynamics offers a variety of therapies to help with fibromyalgia.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy focuses on improving movement and pain to promote healing. Our team of chiropractors uses physiotherapy to help:

• Chronic pain management
• Encourage natural recovery
• Muscle and joint pain
• Prevent symptoms from worsening
• Improve physical activity
• Improve movement and bodily function

We recommend physiotherapy if you want to avoid or limit medications for fibromyalgia.

Massage therapy

Fibromyalgia makes your muscles tense, stiff, and achy. Massage therapy can fix these problems and treat a variety of other symptoms. 

A study revealed that massage therapy improved anxiety, depression, pain, and stress in fibromyalgia patients.

Treatment for fibromyalgia

There’s no cure for fibromyalgia. But changing how you handle this disorder can reduce the severity of your symptoms. If natural remedies alone don’t help, medications are available.

For more advice on how to live with fibromyalgia, schedule an appointment at Advantage Spinal Dynamics. You can call our office, located in Meridian, Idaho, or book an appointment online.