Fibromyalgia the Chiropractic Approach
FIBROMYALGIA FACTS
WHAT IS FIBROMYALGIA
Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic, widespread pain throughout the body with no apparent cause or explanation. Fibromyalgia was first described in medical literature over 150 years ago and has been called fibrositis, myofascial pain syndrome, muscular rheumatism, and many other names. The diagnosis for Fibromyalgia became officially recognized in 1990 by the American College of Rheumatology.
In addition to chronic pain, other symptoms include stiffness, especially in the morning,fatigue, sleep disturbance, migraine and tension headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, TMJ, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and intolerance to cold weather.
It was originally thought that the symptoms of Fibromyalgia were caused by stress and worry, which caused additional muscle tension. Although recent studies of people with Fibromyalgia do not show that stress itself causes Fibromyalgia, stress and anxiety can make your condition worse. In fact, the pain and fatigue of Fibromyalgia often cause stress and worry, which, in turn, can increase the pain and fatigue, thus creating a vicious cycle.
MEDICAL TREATMENT
There is no known medical cure for Fibromyalgia — the only treatment is aimed at reducing symptoms, although most experts agree that medicine has a very limited effectiveness.
“There is little evidence that we can treat Fibromyalgia patients effectively with drugs. A recent study of patients with long-standing Fibromyalgia demonstrates that expensive medical care does not result in symptom improvement or better function.”
Frederick Wolfe, M.D.
“All drugs damage the body if taken over a period of years.”
Coping With Fibromyalgia
responsible for several thousand deaths in the United States each year.13
Regular use of either acetaminophen or aspirin or of both was associated in a dose-dependentmanner with an increased risk of chronic kidney failure.
The regular use of acetaminophen was associated with a 2.5 times greater risk of chronic kidney failure than that for nonusers of acetaminophen. For those who took >500g of acetaminophen per year, the risk was 5.3 times greater than for nonusers.
The regular use of aspirin was associated with a 2.5 times greater risk of chronic kidney failure than as that for nonusers of aspirin. For those who took 500g or more of aspirin per year (over 4 aspirin tablets every day), the risk was 3.3 times greater than for nonusers.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
WHAT CAUSES FIBROMYALGIA?
In short, there is a lot of muscle trauma involved in most car accidents, particularly rear end collisions associated with whiplash.
Acute flexion-extension injuries, typically seen in auto accidents, can cause whiplash trauma to the cervical spine, even in the absence of bony damage and immediate pain. These injuries are extremely common and often lead to conditions such as chronic headaches and Fibromyalgia.
What causes the nervous system to become overly sensitive? Research indicates that trauma, injuries, and even repetitive “micro-trauma” might be the trigger for Fibromyalgia.
VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION RESEARCH
“Fibromyalgia arises as referred pain from neck and back problems, and underlying spinal problems, needs correction to obtain improvement.”
HEALTH NEWS
Chiropractic has proven to be a safe and effective method of resolving neurological conditions such as Fibromyalgia and should be considered as a “first choice” by patients suffering with this condition.