Fibromyalgia Pain: How a Chiropractor Can Help You

When patients visit the chiropractor for chiropractic treatment in Spartanburg, they go to get rid of their pains. But, a chiropractor will first assess the patient to determine the source of the pain before treating it.

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common causes of chronic pain in the US. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 million US adults have Fibromyalgia pain. However, even though Fibromyalgia is common, medical knowledge, such as the method of diagnosis or its specific causes, is currently not fully established.

Thankfully, chiropractic treatment helps not only to deal with the chronic pains caused by Fibromyalgia but manage the disease itself. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about Fibromyalgia, including how it causes pain in the body and its symptoms. You will also learn how a chiropractor can help with your Fibromyalgia pain.

What Is Fibromyalgia? 

Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic condition characterized by muscular or musculoskeletal pain with stiffness and localized tenderness at specific points on the body. It can be effectively managed and treated by traditional and alternative medicine. The conventional medical approach uses anti-inflammatory prescription drugs to help patients deal with the widespread pain caused by the condition.

Fibromyalgia patients have an accompanying condition known as widespread pain perception processing. This means that people with Fibromyalgia may be more sensitive to pain than people without it.

Areas in the patient’s body become so fragile that the slightest pressure causes pain. Therefore, even though Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain in the body, some parts of the body experience chronic pain.

These areas include:

  • Lower neck
  • Below the side bone at the elbow
  • Just above the knees
  • Hip bone
  • Upper outer buttock
  • The base of the skull
  • Neck and shoulder
  • Upper inner shoulder

Pains in these body areas cause general discomfort and may make it difficult for the patient to move and use their body correctly. It also affects various aspects of the patient’s life, like their jobs, and leads to depression and other mental disorders.

Chiropractic care is an alternative medical treatment to Fibromyalgia that helps patients to manage the pain. It also helps to improve patients’ range of motion at the joints.

When Fibromyalgia patients visit a chiropractor, they have more relief from the widespread pain. Chiropractic care from an injury treatment center in Spartanburg also provides additional benefits that improve the general well-being of Fibromyalgia patients.

What Are the Complications of Fibromyalgia? 

Fibromyalgia majorly causes widespread pain in the body. It may also lead to disability and a lower quality of life. The following are complications that Fibromyalgia patients may have:

Higher Rates of Depression

Adults with fibromyalgia are more predisposed to have significant depression than adults without fibromyalgia. Chiropractic treatment helps fibromyalgia patients with the mental stress that leads to depression.

Higher Death Rates From Injuries and Suicide

Fibromyalgia patients have a higher death rate from injuries due to abnormal pain perception processing. Fibromyalgia patients also have a higher death rate from suicide. However, the mortality rate among adults with fibromyalgia is not far from the mortality rate of the general population.

Higher Rates of Other Rheumatic Disorders

Fibromyalgia falls under a group of medical disorders called arthritis. These conditions commonly co-occur. Other types of arthritis include osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Frequent Hospitalizations

Reports from the CDC show that patients with fibromyalgia are twice as likely to be hospitalized than patients without the condition.

Signs and Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia patients generally do not feel symptoms until an incident, such as an infection, surgery, physical injury, or significant psychological stress. The most common signs of fibromyalgia are:

  • Widespread pain
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Sleep problems
  • Headaches
  • Constant fatigue and tiredness
  • Cognitive issues like difficulty with thinking, concentration, and memory

Other symptoms of fibromyalgia include the following:

  • Pain in the face or jaw, including disorders of the jaws, called temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ)
  • Digestive problems which include bloating, constipation, abdominal pain, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Numb hands or feet

5 Ways Chiropractic Treatment in Spartanburg Can Help With Your Fibromyalgia Pain 

There are several treatments in Spartanburg available to fibromyalgia patients. However, chiropractic care is the best because it is mild and non-invasive.

A review by the Journal of Manipulative Physiology and Therapeutics revealed that psychotherapy, massage, exercise, acupuncture, and spa therapy (hydrotherapy) are all effective treatments for fibromyalgia. Also,  some evidence shows that a special diet, spinal manipulation, and vitamins can help manage fibromyalgia pain.

Fibromyalgia patients will receive each procedure identified above when they visit a chiropractor. The administered treatment can help with your fibromyalgia pain in the ways discussed below.

Increased Range of Motion

Chiropractic treatment involves adjusting the body’s joints and helping to loosen them. This increases the range of motion of fibromyalgia patients and allows them to move around more easily.

Reduced Pain Levels 

The primary health problem fibromyalgia patients face is constant widespread pain which affects the entire body for weeks or months. Chiropractic care helps fibromyalgia patients get rid of aches and improve overall health by helping the body to self-heal. Chiropractic care also helps fibromyalgia patients to minimize their painful pressure points by adjusting the spine to improve alignment.

Improved Sleep Quality 

In many cases, the pain experienced by fibromyalgia patients is increased by lack of sleep. This leads to other symptoms of fibromyalgia, like headaches and migraines.

However, it also decreases the rate of hospitalization of patients. In addition, when the joints of patients are loosened and their tender spots are properly managed, fibromyalgia patients enjoy an improved quality of sleep.

Effective Diet Recommendations

Chiropractors recommend new dietary modifications to fibromyalgia patients, which aid their treatment. For example, foods high in sugar make it more difficult for the body to combat fibromyalgia symptoms. Also, abstaining from foods high in fat ensures you don’t put on weight, as weight gain increases the pressure on your joints and makes the pain in your body more severe.

Reduced Mental Stress

The pain endured by fibromyalgia patients can lead to mental stress and even mental disorders in patients. Chiropractic care helps patients deal with mental stress by feeling in control of their bodies and being optimistic that they are recovering.

Carolina Spine and Pain Center Provides the Best Chiropractic Treatment in Spartanburg 

Chiropractic care is better in treating fibromyalgia pain because it helps eliminate the pains without any side effects. Chiropractors also provide personalized treatment that is not expensive.

At Specific Care Chiropractors, we have experienced chiropractors that will carefully examine you and provide the best treatment. So stop searching for an injury center near me and book a consultation today to start your journey toward recovery.