Fibromyalgia symptoms can prove debilitating. It’s not just the pain. Insomnia, anxiety and depression, fatigue, and confusion can move a person to be far less active than before. This begins an unfortunate cycle. The pain and other symptoms move one to be sedentary, a less active lifestyle leads to weight gain, and obesity can increase the severity of just about every symptom of fibromyalgia, especially pain.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a system that examines the weight to height ratio in order to determine body fat. Once BMI exceeds 25, a person is overweight. At a BMI of 30, a person is obese. Since fibromyalgia causes activity issues that often lead to weight gain, the NCBI performed a study to see how prevalent obesity and being overweight are in connection with a fibromyalgia diagnosis. The results may shock you.
215 fibromyalgia patients participated in the study. 47% had a BMI of over 30 and an additional 30% were between 25 and 30. Thus, more than three-quarters had weight levels that were making symptoms worse. Those who were overweight showed significantly higher pain levels in lower body pain points and those who were obese reported even higher pain levels on average.
Breaking the cycle means a healthier lifestyle and some measure of exercise on a regular basis, even if one can only take a walk several days a week. Lifestyle adjustments include a nutritious diet and a more active lifestyle. However, reducing pain levels can be a key element in sticking to such lifestyle adjustments.
Fortunately, upper cervical chiropractors have seen success in helping reduce pain levels and other fibromyalgia symptoms. This is because an atlas (C1) misalignment can affect the brainstem and blood flow to the brain. As a result, the body may no longer process pain signals correctly, and the brain’s emotional response to pain may be affected.
Once the correction of atlas alignment happens using a low force adjustment, many patients can experience fewer and less severe symptoms. Finding a practitioner near you may be the first step in becoming more active again.
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The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
