Fibromyalgia

We bet you've heard of fibromyalgia, but do you know what it is? For a lot of people, it is one of those mystery disorders that all they know about it is the name, unless you're one of the four million people in the United States who have it.¹

What is fibromyalgia?

We wish we could take the mystery out of the equation and tell you everything about fibromyalgia. However, despite a lot of scientific effort, not everything is known yet about it. We don't know why it happens. What we do know is that people with fibromyalgia have widespread pain, trouble sleeping, memory issues, anxiety, depression, and fatigue.¹ We also know that it is s most common in middle-aged women² and that it is not due to inflammation and it is not an auto-immune disease.³ Researchers have found that the nervous system plays a part in fibromyalgia.³

How do you treat fibromyalgia?

While there is not a cure yet, one thing that really helps people with fibromyalgia is being truly diagnosed and given education on the condition.

Another thing that does a lot to improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia is, you guessed it, physical therapy! Why? Because people with fibromyalgia often stop moving a lot and exercising. While it's understandable why their pain makes them want to stop physical activity, this actually makes their symptoms worse. Physical therapy helps people with fibromyalgia continue to move. They learn to adapt to their pain and reduce it through movement. In addition, physical therapy gives them the education they need about their disorder.

Plus physical therapy introduces people with fibromyalgia to new forms of exercise that might be more comfortable for them, such as swimming. Our physical therapist can recommend aquatic therapy exercises to teach you ways that you can move pain free.

If you have fibromyalgia, we understand how frustrating it is to not understand your body anymore and not know what to do. We can help you learn what works best for you to live pain free. All you have to do is schedule an appointment with one of our physical therapists.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/types/fibromyalgia.htm#:~:text=This%20is%20called%20abnormal%20pain,be%20effectively%20treated%20and%20managed.
https://ppsapta.org/marketing/blog/browse.cfm?recID=DF864016-0B88-4925-DD188F92C399F26F
https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Patient-Caregiver/Diseases-Conditions/Fibromyalgia