For many people the pain of fibromyalgia can be unbearable. To make matters even more complicated, there is not one treatment plan that fits all cases. Instead, there are numerous treatments available, and it can be a tedious process to determine what will work best to ease your pain. Treatment options that you can try include pain medications, lifestyle changes, modifications in your diet and alternative therapies. Let’s take a look at these treatments that can help ease the pain of fibromyalgia.
The first treatment option that many sufferers try is pain medications. It is important to work with you physician to determine which pain meds will be right for you. Most likely you will first try over the counter options such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen. If you do not see a let up in pain with these medications your physician can also prescribe a variety of other drugs that are known to give pain relief. These include NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories), corticosteroid anti-inflammatories, opiods, anti-convulsants, muscle relaxants and anti-anxiety medications. Antidepressants are also commonly used for pain management.
The next thing you will want to take a close look at is your lifestyle. Believe it or not, this can be one of the most prominent causes of fibromyalgia pain. High levels of stress, poor diet choices and lack of exercise are key indicators for pain. You will want to do everything you can to reduce every day stress. It will also be important for you to start an exercise routine that includes stretching and relaxation breathing techniques. Finally, take a good look at what you are putting into your body. You will want to eliminate foods filled with salt, sugar, and preservatives. Avoiding processed and junk food as well as caffeine, carbonated beverages and alcohol can be very beneficial. Instead, eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. This combination will work to ease the pain of fibromyalgia.
Finally, many people find high levels of relief in incorporating alternative therapies into their treatment plan. Acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic care and behavior modification therapy have all proven to yield great results for some individuals. They are certainly worth a try if you suffer from fibromyalgia pain.
Ongoing stress is a recipe for disaster that can impact your ability to follow your daily routine. Once your body has reached its limit, you are more than likely to fall apart physically and be prevented from meeting your obligations or having any fun.
Before stress takes over your life, take a break to care for yourself. Head to your local spa and treat yourself to a massage that will allow you to put a halt to your hectic pace.
Make some time in your busy schedule to check out massage services at a nearby day spa or massage therapist. They’ll be able to advise you of the options available to help you overcome your stress and feel pampered. There’s more than one type of massage technique, so read up on the various ones available that will meet your needs. You’ll need to take into consideration what will best address your problems, how much time you can allow, and whether you can afford it.
What Kind of Massage is Best?
Knowing how each type of massage therapy works and what its particular benefits are is a must before you dive in. Once you know the basics, go ahead and indulge.
1. Hot Stone Massage: This is a particularly good procedure if you suffer from aches and pains in your muscles. The massage therapist will place special heated stones on your body in key locations. The heat from the stones relaxes tense muscles, and you’ll find you have greater mobility and flexibility, and less pain. The slow application of pressure and some friction by the therapist will further loosen you up.
2. Shiatsu. This massage technique has its origins in Japan. It has some similarities to acupuncture and acupressure, but has been practiced for even longer. The practitioner uses the fingers and palms to apply pressure to certain parts of your body. It’s believed to restore imbalances throughout your body and thereby improve your overall health. Shiatsu massage is especially useful for the treatment of headaches and muscle stiffness related to stress and circulation difficulties.
3. Aromatherapy. This is a very luxurious massage experience. The therapist will use essential oils on your body during the massage, most likely lavender which is known for its stress relieving properties. You’ll feel soothed and pampered, and your muscles will be loose and limber. During the massage, you’ll probably feel calm almost to the point of sleep, but afterwards you’ll have renewed energy. Aromatherapy massage is popular with those who suffer from emotional forms of stress.
4. Thai Massage. This massage therapy utilizes a little more pressure than does shiatsu massage, and incorporates stretching similar to yoga. But you don’t have to do any of the work. The massage therapist will guide your body through the postures for you. This is excellent for stress reduction as well as improved flexibility and range of motion.
Choosing the massage that fits your needs is your first step to stress relief. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of others who are depending on you.
Tips to Relieve Fibromyalgia Upper Back Pain
For many sufferers Fibromyalgia upper back pain is one of the worst and most disruptive symptoms which means that relieving the ache can mean relieving a lot of suffering. Suffering with back pain can make sitting in any one position difficult and it can also impact on the quality of sleep leaving you feeling tired and drained the next day, still with a sore back!
To understand why fibromyalgia sufferers have such a bad time with chronic back pain it helps to understand how the back works so you can choose treatments that will be the most effective,
A mesh of muscles support and align your spine, this allows your body to move, bend, stay upright and do all the things it does. These muscles are central to our ability to balance. They also crossover with other nearby muscles that have connections to pain processing receptors in the brain. As fibromyalgia is characterized by overactive pain processors, your brain can be tricked into thinking you are experiencing pain. This can be the cause behind the chronic pain.
Also the longer you have suffered with fibromyalgia and it’s debilitating symptoms the weaker the muscles tend to be. Weakened spine muscles can stop the back from being properly aligned, leading again to chronic pain.
While Fibromyalgia remains to be somewhat of a mystery even to the best of medical practitioners, there are some steps you can take to ease back pain.
There is the option of consulting your doctor for advice and prescriptions of medication for symptomatic relief. Your doctor may prescribe some painkillers and anti-depressants to help alleviate pain and aid muscle relaxation. However, as these just address the symptoms rather than the cause they tend to not be effective over the longer term. You can combine these medications with other treatments to fast track and enhance your pain relief.
Heat Applications
A warm bath at night before bed can help to ease back pain and relax muscles giving you the opportunity for a better nights sleep, allowing your body healing time. Or if you wake up aching start your day with a warm relaxing soak in the tub to soothe your muscles. Just like an anti-depressant, a warm bath will loosen you muscles and promote over all relaxation that can also ease the mind.
Heat wraps are another option that comes in all different shapes and sizes to fit various parts of your body. You can heat them in the microwave or in warm water and then strap it onto your back for warming relief.
Support
Think about your seating arrangements and your bed. Are they offering your back the correct level of support? If you spend long days at work sitting ask your company if they will provide you with an adjustable chair that you can adjust for better back posture – even better if they will provide an ergonomically designed on. At home try lumber supports and if your bed is old and has lost its springiness than maybe you should think about investing in a new one.
Exercise
Don’t forget to incorporate mild exercise into your daily routine. This practice will help not only with upper back pain but with overall health and well being as well. There are specific back exercises that target the muscles in the back to help strengthen them. To ensure you are getting the exercises right consult a trained professional before attempting to do at home. Physical therapy has proven to be helpful in easing pain for people with chronic back pain.
Alternative options
Acupuncture is an option that you could consider. Although, there are no statistics to rely on, anecdotally, some fibromyalgia sufferers have experienced significant reduction in pain from having acupuncture sessions. Similar to this is also acupressure, with uses pressure rather than needles to stimulate certain points on the body. Visiting a chiropractor can also bring improvements.
Therapy To Help Back Pain
Lower back pain sometimes known as Lumbago or Sciatica is a common disorder affecting some 60% of the adult population, seeking to get rid of back pain. So great is the problem, that in the UK alone, some 150 million man days are lost each year in industry, as a result of absenteeism attributed to lower back pain. Generally, the symptoms of low back pain are due to benign musculoskeletal problems often arising from strains in the lower back muscles or soft tissue, and these ease considerably within a few weeks using common sense measures to address.
To help back pain, establishing of the fundamental origin of the back pain with a GP is usually made through a combination of a medical history, physical examination, and, when necessary, diagnostic investigation, such as x-ray, MRI, or CT scan. Usually, low back or lumbar pain can be treated conventionally, with one recommendation being physical therapy which may help alleviate the symptoms, and give back pain relief. A summary of some of the more common therapies used to provide back pain relief are listed below:-
Acupuncture
Acupuncture treatment originated in China over two thousand years ago. It is reputed that the first observations were of soldiers, wounded in battle by arrows, and how the arrow ‘punctures’ caused therapeutic effects in different parts of the victims body well away from the wound area. The general theory behind traditional acupuncture is based on patterns or meridians of energy flow through the body that are essential for health. This is referred to as Qi or Chi and sometimes Xue (blood). Disruptions of this flow are thought to be the primary causes of pain and disease. Acupuncture attempts to correct imbalances of flow, thus helping to restore the patient’s health.
How Acupuncture Works
Broadly, acupuncture involves stimulation of points along these energy flows through a range of techniques. Stimulation is typically performed using very fine needles that create gentle sensations. Each of these needles are inserted into specific points along these ‘energy pathways’ or “meridians”.
Can Acupuncture Help My Back Pain
Acupuncture is considered useful in treating such conditions as lower back pain, sciatica, stiffness, and strains. In traditional acupuncture theory, pain arises due to blocked energy along ‘energy pathways’ or “meridians” of the body, which are ‘cleared’ when acupuncture needles are inserted. In modern medicine, scientific reasons have been put forward for the apparent benefits that acupuncture provides for the sufferers of lower back pain. One observation is that acupuncture stimulation causes the releases neurochemicals and hormones, regarded as producing signals that soothe the sympathetic nervous system and release natural opioids which provide back pain relief.
Alexander technique
The Alexander Technique is a method that works to change (movement) habits in our everyday activities. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination. The technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, giving you more energy for all your activities. It is not a series of treatments or exercises, but rather a re-education of the mind and body. The Alexander Technique is a method which helps a person discover a new balance in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be applied to sitting, lying down, standing, walking, lifting, and other daily activities
How Alexander Technique works
The Alexander Technique shows its students how to learn to do whatever they currently do as easily and efficiently as possible. It is concerned almost exclusively with process – how an activity is performed not what it is. Although there are no exercises, Alexander technique shows how to exercise more efficiently, with reduced risk of injury. Many, seeking back pain relief are drawn to the technique because of its reputation to help back pain or lumbago, stiff necks and shoulders, and other conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Alexander teachers are not doctors and do not diagnose diseases.
Can Alexander Technique Help My Back Pain
By becoming more aware of how the body works and learning how to “undo” bad body practices, those suffering with long term or chronic back pain are able to soothe and ease their symptoms. Pupils of Alexander technique can learn how to pupils how to liberate needless muscle tension and, freer means of movement which impose less strain and therefore back pain relief.
Bowen Therapy
The Bowen technique is a soft tissue remedial therapy, named after its innovator Tom Bowen. This therapy is not considered massage, but as a non-invasive muscle release and integration technique, but similar to massage, it releases muscular tension. Its clients describe experiences of significant relaxation after a session.
How does Bowen Therapy work
The technique involves the therapist using fingers or thumbs to move over muscle, ligament tendon and fascia in various parts of the body. The work is very subtle, relaxing and gentle involving no hard or prolonged pressure. During a session the client will lie on a therapy table or bed, although the work can be effectively carried out with the client in a chair.
Can Bowen Therapy help my back pain
The most common presentation is for back pain relief and here Bowen excels. The average number of treatments would be two or three for most therapists. There are always going to be exceptions to any rule, and certain people will need further or even on-going treatments. Sports injury is a field of remedial therapy that is becoming very aware of The Bowen Technique. The Bowen Technique is being used at high levels of sport in this country, with rugby clubs and premiership football clubs showing interest. Bowen therapists advocate that this can reduce or eliminate or help back pain and promote general health
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a technique which focuses on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. The principal of Chiropractic is that the key to health is the nervous system with the spine at its centre. If the spine is aligned correctly, then optimal movement can occur and the patient can achieve improved health.
A chiropractor will generally address “subluxations”- misalignments to the spinal bones responsible for reduced movement or or loss of normal posture, causing impairment to the nervous system or nerve irritation.
How does Chiropractic work
In seeking to help back pain, a chiropractor would usually examine the patient’s spine and review any patient history to determine any previous injuries, accidents, or tensions that may be impairing normal function. Sometimes the Chiropractor will order an X-ray to help determine this. A common form of Chiropractic treatment is a spinal manipulation or adjustment. This is generally carried out by hand manipulating the spinal joints affected in an attempt to increase or unlock the joints mobility.
Additional tools are sometimes used to promote healing including rehabilitative exercise, nutritional and lifestyle improvement programmes. The amount of, and frequency of the treatment required would vary according to the nature and severity of the condition.
Can Chiropractic Help My Back Pain
A chiropractor will attempt to focus on the fundamental mechanical and neurological trouble in the spine to decrease the back pain and other symptoms caused by reduced spinal function. He will concentrate on natural health care working to encourage the body to self repair back towards improved health. Chiropractic care as a therapy for back pain in general is safe when employed skillfully and appropriately. Manipulation is regarded as relatively safe, but as with all therapeutic interventions, complications can arise, and it has known adverse effects