Physical Therapy Guide to Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that affects approximately five million individuals in the United States; 80% to 90% of those affected are women. If you have fibromyalgia, Bck2health has the best fibromyalgia treatment in Michigan. Fibromyalgia is usually diagnosed in individuals between 30 and 50, but symptoms such as joint and severe pain and fatigue can appear earlier.

Although there is currently no cure, there are treatments to help. Your physical therapist can assist you in the following ways:

1. Understand and manage your pain
2. Reduce your fatigue
3. Improve your function and quality of life

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia has no known cause, but it is thought to be caused by adjustments in how the nervous system practices pain. Trauma, surgery, infection, arthritis, or significant emotional stress may precipitate it or develop gradually over time. Fibromyalgia is more common in people with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or ankylosing spondylitis.

Signs and Symptoms

The significant symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

• There is widespread pain. Fibromyalgia pain is commonly described as a continual dull ache for at least 3 months. The pain must be felt on both sides of your body and above and below your waist to be considered widespread.
• Fatigue. People with fibromyalgia frequently wake up tired, despite sleeping for prolonged periods. Pain often disrupts sleep, and many fibromyalgia patients have other sleep disorders, including restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea.
• Difficulties with cognition The capacity to focus, pay attention, and start concentrating on mental tasks is impaired by a symptom known as “fibro fog.”

Fibromyalgia is frequently associated with other circumstances, such as:

1. Irritable bowel syndrome
2. Chronic fatigue syndrome
3. Migraine and different types of headaches
4. Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome
5. Temporomandibular joint disorders
6. Anxiety
7. Depression
8. Postural tachycardia syndrome

How is it Diagnosed?

Since there are no blood tests, x-rays, or muscle biopsies that can be utilized to diagnose fibromyalgia, you’ll need to work closely with your doctors to get an accurate diagnosis. Many conditions can cause pain and fatigue, so a thorough medical examination is required to rule out circumstances apart from fibromyalgia, including rheumatologic or infectious disease, Lyme disease, hypothyroidism, metabolic disease, or medication side effects.

After all other conditions are ruled out, a diagnosis is made based on acute symptoms such as chronic tiredness, pain in multiple “tender points” (points that are soft to touch and move around), difficulty sleeping, anxiety, and memory problems. Your physical therapist can detect fibromyalgia during a routine evaluation and health history. Your therapist will closely examine the pattern of your illnesses. There are 18 possible tender points, for example, and the more tender points you have, the more commonly you have fibromyalgia. For medical care that includes medications, the therapist may relate you to a rheumatologist or a physician who specializes in arthritis.

How can a Physical Therapist Help?

Having to live with fibromyalgia can be difficult. Your pain, as well as other symptoms, may vary from one day to the next. If you avoid physical activity due to pain, your overall physical fitness may suffer.

Extensive research backs up the benefits of education, aerobic exercise, and strength training to help with fibromyalgia. However, fear of pain frequently prevents people from starting an exercise program. Through a customized exercise program, your physical therapist will show you how to define pain signals and manage and reduce your symptoms.

How can you take control of information?

People who are aware of their health problems have more trust, can deal better with their condition, and are more probably to get “back in the swing,” according to research. Your physical therapist can clarify how fibromyalgia influences how your body considers and responds to pain, as well as how you can begin taking control of the pain rather than allowing it to control you. We also have evidence that knowledge is a strength in pain management.

Your therapist can advise you on local support groups, exercise programs, and self-help resources.

Manage your symptoms through exercise

Commonly, moderate exercise is essential in fibromyalgia treatment. Reducing one’s BMI can lower one’s chance of developing fibromyalgia.

According to research, the following fibromyalgia treatments can reduce pain while also improving function, general health, and sleep in individuals suffering from fibromyalgia:

1. Aerobic conditioning
2. Aquatic exercise
3. Stretching
4. Strengthening exercise
5. Yoga
6. Tai chi
7. Deep breathing
8. Recreational activities
9. Manual therapy

Your physical therapist will create an exercise program tailored to your specific needs. To guarantee your success, the therapist will teach you:

1. Begin slowly
2. Take your time
3. Set attainable exercise and physical activity goals
4. In times of stress, modify your program

The physical therapist can assist you in enhancing your fitness and life quality by designing an aerobic exercise program that trains your heart, lungs, and muscles. Aerobic exercises include:

1. Brisk walking (you can talk while walking, but you must take deep breaths).
2. Bicycling, swimming.
3. Utilizing a stair-climbing or elliptical machine.

If you have severe symptoms, your physical therapist will collaborate with you to increase your overall activity level and tolerance for exercise, beginning with exercises you can do for short periods (e.g., 10 minutes) and gradually increasing your tolerance for longer exercise. Even fast, 10-minute workouts done twice or three times each day can enhance your strength and endurance. The therapist may concentrate on muscle strengthening or improving your cardiovascular fitness if you have a mild illness. To help to reduce stiffness and pain while exercising, the therapist may suggest an aquatic exercise in a pool.

Even if you start slowly, increasing your activity will most likely cause more pain. Your physical therapist will begin preparing you by teaching you at-home techniques such as relaxation and stretching exercises.

You could also have tendinitis, arthritis, heart disease, and fibromyalgia. These conditions may make it more difficult for you to exercise. Your physical therapist is distinctively trained to tailor fibromyalgia treatment for those conditions, taking into account the impact they may have on your fibromyalgia symptoms and exercise ability.

Medication that targets brain chemicals responsible for how your body responds to pain may be prescribed. Physical therapists also consider the impact medications may have on your ability to move and exercise.

 

Expand Your Movement Range

To help improve joint motion, your therapist may use manual treatment strategies to continue moving your joints as you remain relaxed. These techniques are combined with exercise, stretching, and controlled movements.

Use special techniques

According to research, merging a range of therapies is likely to produce the best results. Adequate medications, exercise, and “mind-body techniques” can all assist you in managing your symptoms.

For example, meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy can alter your pain responses and promote relaxation. Physical therapists are also trained and experienced in recognizing behaviors that may impede function recovery and frequently referring people to other healthcare professionals who can assist them in overcoming these challenges.

Your physical therapist may use biofeedback to assist you in controlling muscle tension and pain by using a device that measures the amount of stress in your muscles. The therapist applies soft gel electrodes to your skin, which record muscular tension, whereas your therapist explains how to relieve that tension.

Your therapist can also show you how to establish a sleeping and waking routine to promote restorative sleep. The therapist will advise you not to sleep during the day because it will disrupt your sleep cycle.

When searching for a physical therapist, keep the following in mind:

• Seek advice from family, friends, or other healthcare providers.
• When making an appointment at a physical therapy clinic, inquire about the physical therapist’s knowledge of working with people who have fibromyalgia.
• Prepare to define your symptoms in as much detail as possible and what makes them worse.