Doing physical activities might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a way to cope with fibromyalgia. After all, the condition causes mild to intense bouts of pain. But if you’d ask doctors and fibromyalgia chiropractic professionals, YES, it’s totally fine to exercise if you have fibromyalgia. They would, in fact, encourage you to integrate low-impact activities into your everyday routine.
How exactly can you stay physically active if you feel sore and achy all over your body? Let's help you work around your fibromyalgia symptoms and keep your body in tip-top condition.
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Doing simple movements makes an excellent starting point for your fibromyalgia care plan. When choosing activities to include in your routine, we suggest keeping the following tips:
The more you like the activity, the better your chances of maintaining your routine. You have plenty of options, including swimming, water-based exercises, brisk walking, jogging, and cycling. If you love connecting with nature, you might also love hiking or trekking in your monthly workout plans.
It's relatively difficult to follow exercise guides for fibromyalgia patients. That's because each person's body is different. Hence, we strongly recommend paying close attention to your body's needs.
As much as possible, avoid overexerting your muscles to steer clear of fibromyalgia flare-ups. You might also find it helpful to slow down the pace of your workout or planned activities to help your body adjust.
Additionally, if a particular exercise doesn't work for you at first, consider switching to another. For example, you can try water-based walking exercises if you have difficulty walking on pavement because of a lack of energy or muscle soreness.
The water buoyancy will support your movements, so your exercise doesn't take a toll on your muscles, joints, and nerves. Additionally, the warmth of the pool water can help relax your body while performing the movements.
Building consistent workout habits is better than pushing your body to its limit. Your goal should be to help your nervous system grow accustomed to your routine so it doesn't get overwhelmed every time you move around. So, instead of doing bursts of exercise once a month, we recommend scheduling regular activities like walking or jogging for up to 15 minutes daily.
If you successfully build a consistent routine, adjusting your exercises' frequency becomes easier. So, after spending 15 minutes each day to exercise for about three months, you might want to up your game by allocating up to 20 to 25 minutes per day for your chosen activity. You can also explore more intense exercises to help tone your muscles and other organs of the body.
John Hopkins Medicine explains that tracking your resting heart rate and maximum safe heart rate is crucial to maintaining good health. That's because this will give you an idea of how far you should push your body whenever you exercise and how long you might need to cool down.
Fibromyalgia chiropractic doctors and general physicians explain that cooling down after physical activity is crucial to switch from a "fight or flight" to a "rest and digest" mode. It can also reduce muscle soreness and prevent your nervous system from sending excessive pain signals.
So, we suggest doing cool-down exercises like deep breathing for 5 to 10 minutes before you finally rest and move on to your next chores.
If you are unsure of how you can proceed with your physical activities, it might help to consult with professionals like physical therapists or fibromyalgia chiropractic doctors. Doing so will help you outline safe activities for your body. If you visit an upper cervical doctor, you can also determine if you have a cervical subluxation, a potential key trigger of your fibromyalgia flare-ups.
It can be challenging to live with a pain-causing condition like fibromyalgia. Thankfully, healthcare sciences have made it possible for patients to manage symptoms with the help of techniques like fibromyalgia chiropractic care. If you have been experiencing frequent flare-ups, you must consider seeking a chiropractic doctor. Doing so will help you check if you have postural imbalances in the neck.
Case studies have long established the connection between neck bone misalignments and the onset of fibromyalgia symptoms. Posture problems tend to affect the nervous system. The bones tend to press on the brainstem and cause the tissue to misfire pain signals to and from the brain. This can lead to pain sensitization and eventually severe health issues like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.
With the help of an experienced upper cervical chiropractic doctor, you can potentially eliminate the signal interferences and release the pressure on your nervous system tissues. Careful and well-calculated chiropractic adjustments on the C1 and C2 nerves can help you regain your spine's original alignment and enjoy improved health.
If you suspect having neck misalignments because of poor posture or previously sustained neck problems, we suggest visiting a nearby upper cervical chiropractic practice. This will help you confirm your suspicions, find a better way to manage your pain, and receive excellent fibromyalgia care and assistance from an upper cervical doctor.
Your visit will allow you to determine the activities you need to avoid to keep your C1 and C2 bones from shifting out of alignment and causing many unwanted effects on your body. Begin coping better with fibromyalgia with the help of a local upper cervical doctor today!
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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.
