Fibromyalgia and Chiropractic
Fibromyalgia is much more than just muscle pain. It is a debilitating condition that may feel like a never-ending flu. You feel achy, stiff, cramped, unbalanced and weak. Depending on how developed the condition is, the smallest of tasks can feel overwhelming. This condition may even cause cognitive problems and depression.
Fibromyalgia can be at the core of limiting your lifestyle. Everything from getting up in the morning, putting your socks on and even getting in and out of a car can be a struggle.
Self-Care for Fibromyalgia
Your day to day lifestyle choices play a critical role on how much impact fibromyalgia will have on your life. Those who make lifestyle changes to help their fibromyalgia suffer much less pain, are able to remain more active and have a much higher quality of life than those who do not.
If you have fibromyalgia, here are some of the main things that you can do on a daily basis to help your body:
Make Chiropractic Care part of your lifestyle
Chiropractic care is critical for those who suffer from fibromyalgia in order to keep the spine and muscles from losing too much movement. Because fibromyalgia causes the muscles to tighten up and lose some of their natural pliability, it results in a global loss of movement in the spine. The loss of movement in the spine results in a neurological reflex that causes the muscles to tighten further. This vicious cycle will continue and over time will lead to increased pain, increased muscle tightness, a loss of movement, more difficulty sleeping and the development of more and more trigger points.
The only option is to continually adjust the spine and keep it moving. It is not uncommon for those with fibromyalgia to be adjusted three to four times per month to keep everything mobile and relaxed.
Get enough good sleep
Getting enough sleep and the right kind of sleep can help ease the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, but is easier said than done. Many people with fibromyalgia have problems such as restless legs syndrome and brain-wave irregularities that interfere with restful sleep. Insomnia is very common. Alcohol is not recommended before bed as it has been shown to interfere with restful sleep. Chiropractic care, a gentle massage, deep breathing, and meditation are all potentially beneficial to managing fibromyalgia and boosting restful sleep.
Exercise
Studies have shown that fibromyalgia symptoms can be relieved by aerobic exercise. Though pain and fatigue may make exercise and daily activities difficult, it’s crucial to be as physically active as possible. Low impact exercises, like walking and swimming are recommended.
Eat well
As Hippocrates’ famous quote goes; “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Foods have the ability to either stress your body or to help your body heal. Foods that tend to be stressful on the body include: dairy, eggs, wheat, corn, as well as anything with monosodium glutamate (MSG), nitrates or nitrites (as are found in processed foods). It is important that you eat as much clean, organically grown fresh foods as possible.
Fibromyalgia isn’t fatal, however people that suffer from it may suffer for a lifetime. No one should adjust to living this way. If you or someone you know is suffering from this condition, please contact Optimal Chiropractic on 021 487 8465 or email Dr. Ben directly here. We’ll discuss specific lifestyle changes you can make to considerably improve your quality of life.
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