Fibromyalgia Treatment in Westminster Denver Colorado
Overview
●
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread
musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.
Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting
the way your brain and spinal cord process painful and nonpainful signals.
●
Symptoms often begin after an event, such as physical trauma,
surgery, infection or significant psychological stress. In other cases,
symptoms gradually accumulate over time with no single triggering event.
●
Women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than are men. Many
people who have fibromyalgia also have tension headaches, temporomandibular
joint (TMJ) disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression.
● While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, a
variety of medications can help control symptoms. Exercise, relaxation and
stress-reduction measures also may help.
Symptoms
The primary symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
● Widespread pain. The pain associated with fibromyalgia often is described as a
constant dull ache that has lasted for at least three months. To be considered
widespread, the pain must occur on both sides of your body and above and below
your waist.
● Fatigue. People with fibromyalgia often awaken tired, even though they
report sleeping for long periods of time. Sleep is often disrupted by pain, and
many patients with fibromyalgia have other sleep disorders, such as restless
legs syndrome and sleep apnea.
● Cognitive difficulties. A symptom commonly referred to as “fibro
fog” impairs the ability to focus, pay attention and concentrate on mental
tasks.
Fibromyalgia often coexists with other
conditions, such as:
● Irritable bowel syndrome
● Chronic fatigue syndrome
● Migraine and other types of headaches
● Interstitial cystitis or painful bladder
syndrome
● Temporomandibular joint disorders
● Anxiety
● Depression
● Postural tachycardia syndrome
Causes
Many researchers believe that repeated nerve
stimulation causes the brain and spinal cord of people with fibromyalgia to
change. This change involves an abnormal increase in levels of certain
chemicals in the brain that signal pain.
In addition, the brain’s pain receptors seem
to develop a sort of memory of the pain and become sensitized, meaning they can
overreact to painful and nonpainful signals.
There are likely many factors that lead to
these changes, including:
● Genetics. Because fibromyalgia tends to run in families, there may be
certain genetic mutations that may make you more susceptible to developing the
disorder.
● Infections. Some illnesses appear to trigger or aggravate fibromyalgia.
● Physical or emotional events. Fibromyalgia can sometimes be triggered by a
physical event, such as a car accident. Prolonged psychological stress may also
trigger the condition.
Risk
factors
Risk factors for fibromyalgia include:
● Your sex. Fibromyalgia is diagnosed more often in women than in men.
● Family history. You may be more likely to develop fibromyalgia if a parent or
sibling also has the condition.
● Other disorders. If you have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, you
may be more likely to develop fibromyalgia.
Complications
The pain, fatigue, and poor sleep quality
associated with fibromyalgia can interfere with your ability to function at
home or on the job. The frustration of dealing with an often-misunderstood
condition also can result in depression and health-related anxiety.
Diagnosis
●
In the past, doctors would check 18 specific points on a
person’s body to see how many of them were painful when pressed firmly. Newer
guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology don’t require a tender
point exam.
● Instead, the main factor needed for a
fibromyalgia diagnosis is widespread pain throughout your body for at least
three months.
To meet the criteria, you must have pain in at
least four of these five areas:
● Left upper region, including shoulder, arm or jaw
● Right upper region, including shoulder, arm or jaw
● Left lower region, including hip, buttock or leg
● Right lower region, including hip, buttock or leg
● Axial region, which includes neck, back, chest or abdomen
Tests
Your doctor may want to rule out other
conditions that may have similar symptoms. Blood tests may include:
● Complete blood count
● Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
● Cyclic citrullinated peptide test
● Rheumatoid factor
● Thyroid function tests
● Anti-nuclear antibody
● Celiac serology
● Vitamin D
If there’s a chance that you may be suffering
from sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend an overnight sleep study.
Treatment
● In general, treatments for fibromyalgia
include both medication and self-care strategies. The emphasis is on minimizing
symptoms and improving general health. No one treatment works for all symptoms,
but trying a variety of treatment strategies can have a cumulative effect.
Medications
Medications can help reduce the pain of
fibromyalgia and improve sleep. Common choices include:
● Pain relievers. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol,
others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve,
others) may be helpful. Opioid medications are not recommended, because they
can lead to significant side effects and dependence and will worsen the pain
over time.
● Antidepressants. Duloxetine (Cymbalta) and milnacipran (Savella) may help ease
the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. Your doctor may prescribe
amitriptyline or the muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine to help promote sleep.
● Anti-seizure drugs. Medications designed to treat epilepsy are often useful in
reducing certain types of pain. Gabapentin (Neurontin) is sometimes helpful in
reducing fibromyalgia symptoms, while pregabalin (Lyrica) was the first drug
approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia.
Therapies
A variety of different therapies can help
reduce the effect that fibromyalgia has on your body and your life. Examples
include:
● Physical therapy. A physical therapist can teach you exercises that will improve
your strength, flexibility and stamina. Water-based exercises might be
particularly helpful.
● Occupational therapy. An occupational therapist can help you make adjustments to your
work area or the way you perform certain tasks that will cause less stress on
your body.
● Counseling. Talking with a counselor can help strengthen your belief in
your abilities and teach you strategies for dealing with stressful situations.
Our
expert providers are experienced and skilled at treating fibromyalgia and are
your source for expert treatment of fibromyalgia in Westminster and Denver
Colorado. Not only are we the premier treatment for spine injuries and
chiropractic in Westminster and Denver Colorado, but we also specialize in many
other advanced treatment techniques such as shockwave, cold laser, graston
technique, KT Taping, activator, instrument aided spinal alignments, drop
table, toggle, in house rehab services, and on site digital xrays. We are your
Premier destination for fibromyalgia treatment in Westminster Colorado and
Denver Colorado Chiropractor.