More and more, we hear about or meet people suffering from fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness in localized areas. It has also been linked to headaches, anxiety, sleep issues, fatigue and depression.
While the cause has not been pinned down, most researchers agree the primary cause is a breakdown in the normal function of the central nervous system, which creates an abnormal perception of pain. This breakdown can be triggered by something as simple as bad posture or by something as traumatic as a car accident.
The impacts of fibromyalgia can range from mild to severe and even shift from almost non-existent to debilitating when a person is in what the medical community refers to as a “flare.”
Quite often, the road to diagnosing fibromyalgia is long and frustrating with patients often being told their symptoms are all in their mind. To tell a person suffering with chronic pain it may all be imaginary, is demoralizing and is often compounded by severe depression. This cycle of chronic pain and depression leads to a less than wonderful quality of life.
The medical response for those who receive a diagnosis, is to prescribe medications that have varying rates of success in controlling pain and immobility often caused by more advanced fibro, as patients for lack of a better way, “learn to live with it.”
A study published in the American Journal of Medicine, reported that in a group of fibromyalgia patients who had received chiropractic care, the majority of them obtained some type of improvement and nearly half obtained great improvement. A study of 19 patients who received chiropractic care show that it has the ability to improve cervical and lumbar range of motion, spinal flexibility and reduce pain levels.
As a chiropractor, the number of patients I see who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia has increased 60 percent in the past 10 years.
If you are part of the fibromyalgia community and are ready for a non-invasive, non-medicated approach to care or simply want to add another tool to your tool box, I do believe chiropractics can make a difference and look forward to speaking with you. To request a complementary report on chiropractic and fibromyalgia, please e-mail drbrad@drpastro.com .
Dr. Brad Pastro’s office is located at 3232 Carmine St., Carson City. For more information, visit www.drpastro.com or call 775-883-4114.