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In the first part of this 3 part series on fibromyalgia, I provided a brief definition of fibromyalgia. You can revisit that video post here. Below are the main points:

-Fibromyalgia is tricky to identify, as there are no definitive diagnostic tests to confirm the diagnosis.

-Fibromyalgia may cause pain, often debilitating, in any region of the body. It occurs bilaterally, upper & lower body.

-It is non-articular (does not directly affect joints.) It affects soft tissues- particularly muscles.

-It can be partially identified through the presence of trigger points- tender areas that cause radiating pain elsewhere.

-There are 17 ‘classic’ trigger points, and sufferers need only have 11 of them to ‘rule in’ fibromyalgia.

-These points need not occur simultaneously, and may reveal themselves over time.

-Fibromites (folks with fibromyalgia) experience fatigue, poor sleep, difficulty focusing, and other symptoms.

Some things you can do for fibromyalgia:

Like any painful condition, fibromyalgia can affect virtually every activity in which you participate. The pain from this enigmatic syndrome can often be reduced with some simple lifestyle modifications:

-Remain active. When in pain, it can be tempting to try and ‘rest’ in an effort to calm pain. With fibromialgia syndrome (FMS), remaining sedentary seems to worsen the pain and stiffness. FMS seems to improve with moderate amounts of cardiovascular exercise, several times a week.

-Stretch. Take a few minutes twice a day to gently stretch the back muscles. Be sure it is a gentle dynamic stretch which lengthens muscles slowly over time. Never perform a ballistic stretch in which your body ‘bounces’ to enhance a stretch.

-Defend your sleep. Protect your sleep by making your bed as comfortable as possible, Use supportive pillows, and be sure your mattress is not too old. Be sure to have curtains which block out the morning sun. If ambient noise is a problem, try a white noise generator (there are lots of alarm clocks which offer this feature for around 30 bucks) or an electric fan can often provide some of the same benefit. Get to bed at roughly the same time each night, allowing for adequate rest.

-Avoid diets high in dairy, gluten and refined flours.

-Remain adequately hydrated. This one tip can occasionally do more than all the other ones combined. Several glasses of water a day can do much for some patients. The thinking is that trigger points are caused by accumulations of waste products in the soft tissue, and that ‘flushing’ these waste products out via the lymphatic system will help to reduce the pain from these points.

-Take a moment to breathe. Take a few minutes, several times a day to do a few deep breaths. Inhale deeply & slowly through your nose, and gently push the breath out through pursed lips until there is nothing left, then repeat a few times. These types of breaths stimulate something called the thoracic duct which helps to clear more debris from your lymphatic system.

-Relax & Enjoy! Chronic pain often undermines pretty much all ‘normal’ activities. There is a definitive, universally recognized link between your body and mind. Try to reincorporate enjoyable activities back into your life- even if they are a little difficult at first, the long term benefit to your psyche is immeasurable.

These tips alone will not rid you of your fibromyalgia pain, but they will likely help. As always, please share your experiences- those things which have helped and those which haven’t.

Thanks for joining me. Look for Part 3: Medications, later in the week.

Be well!

-Andy

Tags: Andrew Kirschner, andy kirschner, Back Pain, back together, backtogether, Fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia syndrome, FMS, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, pain

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 1:13 pm and is filed under Fibromyalgia, General Health Information, Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.