chiropractic health

Fibromyalgia

The Mayo Clinic defines fibromyalgia as a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, memory impairment, and mood disorders. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way one’s brain processes pain signals. Symptoms sometimes begin after physical trauma, surgery, infection, or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event.

The medical treatment for this condition includes painkillers and antidepressants, as well as anti-seizure medications. In order to be medically diagnosed, a patient needs to feel tender sensations in 11 of 18 predetermined spots on his/her body.

Hiemeyer examined 40 patients with fibromyalgia and concluded, “flexed posture could be an important factor in generalized muscular pain, and posture therefore should be an essential part of the clinical examination of patients with FMS.” Another research study examined 61 patients who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia and found chronic lumbar and cervical problems in over 50% of them.

As you begin to lose the curves in your spine, it can result in significant stress and cause your body to work overtime, leading to taught and tender muscle fibers all over the body. Certain chiropractic techniques are designed to restore these curves into the spine, which reduce physical stress, allowing the body to function normally again. As the curves are restored – especially in the neck – the muscles begin to relax, leading to fewer aches and pains.

Another researcher, Amalu, found: “Upon stabilizing the upper cervical spine, improvement in the symptomatic fibromyalgia patients was 92-100% for all 23 patients. The Torque Release Technique has shown major results in restoration of the cervical curve.”