Fibromyalgia is known for causing widespread muscle pain and exhaustion. In addition, if you are suffering from this condition, you may have pain and tenderness throughout your body. Also, it may cause these symptoms:
Furthermore, other conditions may coexist with fibromyalgia:
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About 5 million of those living in the United States over age 18 have fibromyalgia. As many as 90 percent of these are women. However, it also affects children and men. Most generally, people have it during middle age. Women with a family member who has fibromyalgia may be more likely to get it. If they have one of the following conditions, they may be at a higher risk:
The exact cause of fibromyalgia remains a mystery. However, there are a number of theories that people in the medical field agree on. A variety of things play a factor, such as:
Some scientists believe fibromyalgia may be due to certain genes that cause a person’s pain to be more stimulated than someone else. This may be linked to some recent research that is taking a closer look at the brains of those suffering from fibromyalgia. What does this reveal?
A study revealed that people with fibromyalgia have an increased frequency of their rhythmic brain waves when it comes to areas that are connected to pain sensors.
The thalamus was involved in another study, showing that the rhythmic patterns in the brain (called neural oscillation), are disrupted in patients with fibromyalgia and other conditions. The thalamus is connected to the cortex through these signals. Proper signals are vital for appropriate brain function.
The study looked at the brains of 18 women with and 18 women without fibromyalgia. The analysis revealed that fibromyalgia patients had increased power in 3 of the 4 types of oscillations (beta, gamma, and theta). However, the fourth one showed a slowing down of peak performance. Along with this information, an MRI helped localize the disturbances to specific regions of the brain.
The brain areas involved were the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex. These are areas where cognitive and emotional processing of pain take place. This study is the first to point to thalamocortical dysrhythmia as being the possible underlying reason for fibromyalgia and many chronic pain disorders.
If you visit your family doctor or even a specialist, you will find that their suggestions for caring for fibromyalgia are limited. They will mostly focus on caring for individual symptoms. The following medications may help:
Some other suggestions are:
One area that is able to help fibromyalgia patients find some relief is that of upper cervical chiropractic care. As we noted earlier, proper brain function is a vital part in keeping fibromyalgia at bay. Therefore, one way to ensure good brain function is to correct the bones of the upper cervical spine.
Studies have shown that if these bones are misaligned, even by ¼ of a millimeter, they can cause problems with the brain. The C1 and C2 vertebrae protect the brainstem. However, if these bones move out of place due to a car accident, a trip and fall, or other minor trauma to the head, the brainstem may be placed under pressure. As a result, it may send improper signals to and from the brain, leading to all kinds of health problems. If the signals coming through the brainstem tell the brain there is pain when there is no pain, fibromyalgia can be the end result.
Upper cervical chiropractors use a gentle method to help realign the bones in a few short visits. This often leads to a decrease in the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Some see it go away and not return.
TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
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.