Some cases of fibromyalgia exhibit unpredictable patterns, making it extra challenging to manage the symptoms. You might feel totally fine on some days, so you don’t have much trouble doing your usual routine. Then, you might have those tough days when you can’t even force yourself out of bed because of unexplainable fatigue and dull but constant hip pain that radiates to your lower extremities. Does this sound anything like your case? When you get exposed to fibromyalgia triggers such as stress, do you experience fluctuating symptoms? If your answer is yes, then you may be experiencing what we call fibromyalgia flares. 

Unlike in a regular fibromyalgia progression, patients who suffer from fibromyalgia flare-ups often experience more prolonged bouts of pain and worsening of other symptoms. It usually lasts up to a few days but could easily extend to a couple of weeks. The condition is temporary, but it could cause a lot of discomfort and frustration. Also, they can happen without any apparent warning. 

What Does a Fibromyalgia Flare Feel Like?

Patients who experience fibromyalgia flare-ups mostly report the following symptoms:

• Increased pain in the affected areas
• Tingling, numbness, or weakness in the extremities 
• Cognitive impairment (difficulty remembering, thinking, or concentrating)
• Inflammation or swelling of the hands and feet
• Lack of quality sleep 
• Digestive problems (constipation, diarrhea, or acid reflux)

The symptoms of a typical fibromyalgia flare vary from one person to another. The frequency and intensity of such symptoms also tend to differ each day for most patients.

Fibromyalgia Triggers That Can Potentially Cause Flare-ups  

Until today, the medical community still hasn’t figured out what exactly causes fibromyalgia flares. However, it’s helpful to note the key factors that could contribute to the symptoms’ worsening. Some examples include:

• Increased emotional or physical stress
• Sudden schedule changes 
• Weather and temperature fluctuations 
• Disrupted sleeping time
• Hormonal fluctuations, especially for women 
• Travel 
• Injury 
• Overdoing your exercise routine
• Other illnesses 
• Dietary changes

It will help you a lot if you try tracking your unique fibromyalgia triggers. You can keep a list in your journal and make necessary adjustments to your routine and lifestyle. This way, you can decrease your flare-ups. 

3 Secret Self-care Tips to Manage Fibromyalgia Flares

Besides keeping track of your fibromyalgia triggers, it’s also beneficial to use natural methods to manage your condition. There are three simple, highly effective, and side-effects free methods you can use to manage your symptoms: 

• Meditation

Although stress is a normal part of daily life, studies explain that it often aggravates all kinds of health conditions, including fibromyalgia. Good thing, you have a variety of options to counter its effect, one of which is through meditation. Practicing some key meditation techniques could help you deal with the discomfort, stress, and depression brought by your flares and your overall health condition. 

• Physical activities

We know how much of a struggle it is to move on some days when the symptoms start showing. However, we still recommend engaging in an excellent exercise routine that will help you ease muscle tension and get your blood vessels pumping. 

• Maintain a consistent sleeping habit

Lack of quality sleep, like stress, can also trigger a plethora of health mishaps. The more tired you feel, the higher your pain sensitivity gets. We highly recommend maintaining a regular sleeping pattern. Practice sleeping and waking up on a consistent schedule each day. This way, you can develop a better circadian rhythm. This could help you improve your overall condition and boost your body’s ability to cope with the pain. 

There’s Hope For Your Fibromyalgia Flares

Have you been dealing with fibromyalgia symptoms all your life? We know it’s hard and discouraging sometimes. Coping with the symptoms and even flare-ups can cause major disruptions in your day to day activities.

Fortunately, aside from the self-care tips we share above, there’s also another natural method to help you cope better. It all boils down to addressing central sensitization, a hyper-sensitive state of the body's pain receptors. Patients with fibromyalgia experience pain worse than others because of their highly-sensitive pain receptors. In fact, even the lightest tap could feel incredibly painful. 

This happens when the brain sends the wrong signals to the body due to some nervous system changes, particularly the brainstem. In most cases, this stems from the misalignment of the C1 and C2 bones in your neck. 

Through the help of an upper cervical chiropractor, you can correct that bone alignment problem. By fixing your C1 and C2 bones’ position, you ease the tension on the brainstem and the blood vessels traversing through your neck. Ultimately, this allows you to prevent central sensitization, the root cause of your pain.

Upper cervical chiropractic techniques use a unique and precise approach. Chiropractic professionals take accurate measurements of the body through digital imaging tests to make the necessary adjustments to the bones’ alignment. Their primary goal is to resolve your problem’s root cause instead of providing you with temporary relief. Through upper cervical care, you can ease your body into healing naturally and independently. 

Find a local upper cervical chiropractor near you and book an appointment for your consultation.

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