Imagine waking up one day feeling like roadkill. Crushed by an eighteen-wheeler stuffed to the gills with a new shipment of the finest Italian marble tiles.
I’m not talking about drinking too much red wine one Friday night and forgetting to drink any water. I’m talking about widespread pain and fatigue only felt after running a marathon in under three hours without training and brain fog thicker than a San Francisco morning. That’s fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that’s as complex as it is frustrating.
The medical world isn’t entirely sure about what causes fibromyalgia. Some theories point to genetics, infections, or physical or emotional trauma. But one thing is crystal clear: the symptoms are real and can seriously disrupt someone’s life.
The Fibromyalgia Symptoms Experience
First and foremost, there’s widespread pain – like our body has decided to host a constant ache-a-thon. Then, there’s the fatigue that doesn’t care if we’ve slept for 8 hours or 18; it’s always there, lurking in the shadows. Add in sleep disturbances, mood swings, and cognitive issues, and we’ve got ourselves a fibromyalgia party that no one wants an invitation to. Other partygoers include:
- Headaches
- Memory issues
- Cramping
- Depression
- Anxiety
- “Fibro Fog”
- Sensitivity to noises, light, and temperature
- TMJ
- Endometriosis
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
Many of these are chronic fibromyalgia symptoms and can exacerbate others. For example, sleep disorders common with fibromyalgia, like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, make sleeping more difficult, further diminishing cognitive function and increasing depression and anxiety.
Treatment Side Effects
Traditional fibromyalgia treatment relies on NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), anti-seizure drugs, pain relievers, and antidepressants.
Here’s the thing, these medications don’t cure the disease, but they can cause things like:
- Ulcers
- Stomach bleeding
- Digestive disorders
- High blood pressure
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Allergic reactions
- Liver failure
- Kidney stones
- Ovarian cysts
- Aplastic anemia
- Weight gain
- Loss of libido
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Agitation
- Irritability
- Anxiety
There must be a better way.
Now, I know everyone can see where I’m headed, and they’re thinking, “How on Earth can someone cracking my back help with fibromyalgia?” Well, my friends, chiropractic care isn’t about cracks and pops that make for viral TikToks; it’s about aligning our body, mind, and spirit in harmony.
Chiropractic Care for Fibromyalgia Relief
Natural Pain Relief
Fibromyalgia can bring relentless pain, but chiropractic adjustments can help manage it. By realigning the spine and joints, chiropractors can reduce pain and inflammation, providing much-needed relief. Relieving nerve irritation and restoring nerve flow decreases pain and reconnects the mind and body to bolster healing. It’s pain relief without having to battle any child-proofing.
Improved Sleep
One of the trickiest parts of fibromyalgia are the sleep problems. Not getting enough sleep feeds the other symptoms and continually exacerbates the terrible experience of fibromyalgia. Aligning the spine relieves stress on the nervous system, relaxes tense muscles, and relieves pain that often makes sleep difficult. Adjustments also balance hormones, releasing the feel-good hormones and acting like a natural sleep aid. It’s like a beautiful butterfly fluttering through a starry sky, landing on our faces and kissing our eyes closed for a sweet slumber.
Stress Relief
Speaking of hormones…fibromyalgia and stress are like two peas in a pod. But chiropractic care steps in as a blue-helmeted peacekeeper. Chiropractic adjustments release endorphins, also known as the body’s natural stress busters. Reducing stress lowers inflammation and flips our nervous system out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest so that it can function and heal without any unnecessary interference.
Custom Exercises
Exercise can be a daunting word when we’re dealing with fibromyalgia.
If that’s considered exercise, then it’s always daunting.
But movement is life! Staying active improves blood flow, aiding the body’s natural healing process.
At the Springfield Wellness Center, we know how important physical activity is to the healing process. We incorporate tailored exercises to improve flexibility, strengthen muscles, and enhance overall mobility. Exercise also enhances the mind-body connection, which is vital for our brain to understand what is going on with our body to provide the right resources.
Holistic Wellness
Chiropractic care isn’t just about fixing what’s broken; it’s about embracing holistic wellness. Chiropractors often offer nutritional advice, lifestyle counseling, and stress management techniques. They look at the big picture, considering our overall well-being. Our bodies operate as one unit. A problem in one area often causes our body to compensate, forcing it to work in ways it was not meant to. That’s why a holistic approach is the most effective, syncing our body, mind, and soul. And let me say, my friends, when our mind, body, and soul are in harmony, dealing with fibromyalgia becomes much more manageable.
Fibromyalgia often feels like a solo journey across the desert, 127 Hours style.
Before doing anything rash, remember that though fibromyalgia may be a tough nut to crack, no one is alone on this journey. At the Springfield Wellness Center, we know how frustrating and complicated this situation can be, and we are poised with patience and tenacity to tackle the most complex of cases. We believe, because we’ve seen, that chiropractic care offers so much hope to those in desperate need of fibromyalgia relief. Optimizing the nervous system unleashes our body’s greatest potential for healing and achieving what may have before seemed impossible.
Give us a call or schedule a time to meet with one of our amazing doctors. With the right support and a dash of positivity, we can treat fibromyalgia and face it with strength and resilience.