Fibromyalgia and Its Causes

A lot of fibromyalgia sufferers don't know about the important linkage of their disease to spinal trauma. Indeed for many years fibromyalgia was thought to be a part of whiplash injuries of the neck it occurred so commonly. There are many scientific research papers that show for many patients, whiplash and spinal trauma occurs more frequently in fibromyalgia patients.

Fibromyalgia diagnosis is based on widespread bodily AND spinal pain. Spinal pain is a necessary part of the diagnosis. Most patients think that fibromyalgia is more a problem of pain sensitivity by the brain. While this is important, you have to also consider why are you susceptible to such little pressure at various points. What makes your nerves so responsive? In many cases it is nerve irritation at the spinal level. When the spine is injured, the joint is sprained and there is damage to the ligaments and disks. This is called a subluxation. Overtime the muscles become more involved and tight.

For some patients, these problems are so substantial that there becomes sensitivity to pressure where the nerve from the spine feeds the arms and legs. The result is pain all over, and more and more restriction of movement. But lack of movement doesn't help the problem. It generally makes the pain worse.

It is important to become more active if you have fibromyalgia pain. Not doing daily work activities and exercise for fear of pain is a syndrome called pain-avoidance behavior. It's important to break the cycle with walking, gradually increasing distances.

Research has shown that progressive exercise (even resistance training with weights) can help ease the pain of fibromyalgia and improve quality of life. With chiropractic care you can make the spine more flexible and able to withstand the stresses of exercise. Multiple scientific studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments improve spinal pain symptoms. Combined with a sound nutritional program that provides the fuel your body needs, this multimodal approach addresses many needs of the fibromyalgia patient. Dealing with a complex problem like fibromyaglia with drugs is no solution, and often carries unintended side effects, especially when consumed over long periods of time.

Every fibromyalgia patient needs a detailed spinal examination by a doctor of chiropractic to identify areas of sprain (subluxation). When the movement of the joint is restored, this can impact on activity and the strength of your body to resist life's stresses. Exercising is easier when there is less pain, and progressive exercise is key to the recovery from fibromyalgia