Chronic low back pain is a big problem and can side line anyone. Missing time from work, decreased mobility, reduction in social interactions, and can causing havoc with your home life can degrade your quality of life. There are many treatment options, and as with life there is no one size fits all fibromyalgia remedy. Today we will look at different ways of treating fibromyalgia back pain symptoms.
Many fibromyalgia suffers seek help to treat their:
Stiffness
Pain
Muscle Spams
Pain radiating or shooting down the legs or buttocks
Pain radiating down legs to feet
Numbness or tingling sensation in buttocks and legs
Numbness or tingling sensation in groin
Numbness or tingling sensation in feet and toes
Treatment Options For Fibromyalgia Pain Relief
Conservative treatment options include taking over the counter analgesics such as: Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve, and Aspirin.
When over the counter medications don’t work your doctor may prescribe prescription medications such as: Voltran, Tramadol, Ultram, Flexeril, Robaxin, Baclofen, Skelaxin, or narcotics.
Topical pain relievers are a new forms of treatments that doctors are prescribing for fibromyalgia, and Lidoderm is one example. Many people prefer NSAIDS patches as they do not cause stomach problems that some of the pill NSAIDS do with long term use. Over the counter topical pain relievers can be found on drug store shelves that can include Ben Gay, Icey Hot, Well Patch with Capsaicen, but the one that works the best for many is Joint-Ritis Arthritis Pain Relieving Patch, Triple Action, Extra Strength that contains Lanolin, Glucosamine & Chondroitin Spinal Injections or Spinal Nerve Blocks
After a full work up by your doctor he or she may come to the conclusion that nerve blocks or injections are necessary to treat your back pain. As fibromyalgia and myofascial pain quite frequently involves tender points. If your doctor determines after your work up that your sever back pain is a result of structural problems; compression fractures, spondylosis, herniated disc, disc disease, then your doctor may choose for you to have either a spinal block, facet joint block, or a paravertebral block.
Types of Blocks:
Spinal Injections: Spinal injections are often used to reduce or eliminate lower back or radiating leg pain.
Peripheral Nerve Blocks: This block numb the nerves outside of your spinal cord. This is beneficial as these nerves can often times become irritated.
Tell Me More About Nerve Blocks
Well, a nerve block or nerve root block is a procedure where an injection is given into a specific area or areas in your back. The nerve block works by preventing pain signal from traveling to your brain. The purpose of treating a person with a nerve block is to prevent or stop the brain from receiving pain signals, and the sensation of pain.
Nerve blocks can be a tremendous benefit as they provide immediate pain relief, stop the nerves from triggering a pain response, and can relieve inflammation.
Long term benefits of nerve block in fibromyalgia patients can include: reduced joint pain, increased range of motion, a reduction in muscle pain, and the reduction or elimination of pain.
Following the Nerve Block Procedure
You should have immediate pain relief, with a slight numbness in your legs, groin or feet. You should not drive or do any activities until the numbness subsides.
Are There Nerve Block Side Effects?
They are rare, but can include: Rash around site, tenderness around injection site, numbness, loss of sensation, nausea, vomiting, nerve damage, and infection.
Nerve blocks will not cure your fibromyalgia, nerve blocks are band aid therapy for nerve pain. They can provide temporary relief of joint pain, muscle pain and nerve pain. They typically last for a few months depending on the medications used, and you are limited on how many injections you can have in a specific time frame.
Nerve blocks should be used in conjunction to other important therapies such as: daily exercises, daily stretching, physical therapy is ordered, healthy diet, and fibromyalgia medications.
Treating fibromyalgia is never easy, but it can be done. Stay strong, keep an open mind, and know that you are not alone!
Fibromyalgia Syndrome is one of the most frequent rheumatic causes of chronic pain worldwide. As doctors and health care practitioners become more aware of the many attributes of fibromyalgia syndrome, it becoming more apparent that fibromyalgia back back pain it is a leading symptom in 75 % of of sufferers. It is one of the top patient requests, followed by treatment for the chronic fatigue of the syndrome. The list can be exhaustive, here is short list of the most frequent symptoms.
Fibromyalgia symptoms can include:
Chronic Fatigue
Sleep Disturbances
Sore Muscles
Stiffness
Flu Like Symptoms
All Over Body Aches
Fibromyalgia Back Pain
Tender Points
Myofascial Pain
Headaches
Depression
Irritable Bowl Syndrome
Arthritis
And More…….
Tender point pain in fibromyalgia differs from myofascial pain in that the pain is spread to different areas, verses myofascial pain which is more localized in the lower back.
Tender point pain can be treated with local injections, as well as “spray and stretching” technique. You will need a prescription, as this involves a vapor coolants spray called ethyl chloride or fluori-methane. The vapor coolant is used to chill the muscles before stretching, and physical activity.
Fibromyalgia suffers can become overwhelmed by back pain that they become consummed, and begin going from doctor, to doctor on an never ending doctor merry- go -round.
There is no doubt that this is a difficult, and painful condition that at this time offers no known cure. Research continues and hope always looms as more more, and more patients are diagnosed with this debilitating condition.
Discover Fibromyalgia Pain Relief though the use of Fibromyalgia Natural Treatment. Treating fibromyalgia can be done with alternative therapies for fibromyalgia. Do not give up, you deserve to live a happy healthy life; don’t let fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue stops you from living.
Treating fibromyalgia is basically a “crap shoot” what works for one person may not work for another. It is vital that you try different approaches to treating your fibromyalgia pain. Fibromyalgia pain relief can take many forms, and the right fibromyalgia Natural Treatment may take a few test runs before it clicks, and you start feeling better. Dr. Mark Shaw has a program that encompasses many components to being pain free, you may want to check it out, and see if it might be a fit for you. His book Beat Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue has help many fibromalgia pain suffers.
Acupuncture Fibromyalgia
Originated and founded in Eastern medicine thousands of years ago, it has been used successfully to treat pain, and clear energy pathways called meridians. Acupuncture helps balance the meridians that link the nervous system to our internal organs. Many Fibromyalgia sufferers find that acupuncture stimulates their own body’s endorphins, creating natural pain relief freeing them from the debilitating effects of constant pain.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback can use special devices that help individuals achieve a state a relaxation by training them to control their heart rate, reduce blood pressure and muscle tension levels. Training is done by a professional.
Chiropractic Medicine and Proper Body Support
Chiropractic adjustments can help many sufferers treat headaches, back problems, and maintain proper spine alignment. It has been found that there is a connection between the spine, and the nervous system, keeping the spine well aligned may help prevent neurological problems associated with impeded nerve signals.
Use pillow for support. Keep pillows on the couch, in your car, in the bed, anywhere you will be spending any amount of time. Pillows behind the back, under your arms, under your legs, prop pillows where support is needed.
Use proper body mechanics for getting out of the bed, or off the couch. Roll to your side when getting out of bed.
Scoot to the edge of chairs when getting up, and then use your legs, and arms to push up. Keep back straight.
Counseling
Living with fibromyalgia can be very difficult, at times it may feel as if you are going crazy, and the pain eats at your emotional well being isolating you from friends, family, and other social venues. It is helpful to have someone to share your feelings whether it be a trained professional or a support group.
Fibromyalgia Exercise
Stretching, Body mechanics- Flexibility- I have found a very simple device to be highly effective and easy to use. They are called resistance bands, and they can help you target, and gently stretch and strengthen your muscles. You can buy resistance bands online, or in your local store. The online resistance bands come are better made, and come with door hooks that are vital to proper use. These simple, but effictive bands work for any fitness level, and you find see the different types of exercises that can be done by visiting Bodylstics.
Fibromyalgia exercises can include: Walking, swimming, tai chi, resistance bands, bicycling (electric bikes are great for fibromyalgia), dancing, yoga, and more.
Hot or Cold Therapy
Moist heat or dry heat to painful muscles, increases blood supply, and increases oxygen, relaxes muscle spasms, helps relieve pain, and helps maintain range of motion.
Cold therapy-This helps relieve swelling of painful joints, decrease pain, and calms muscle spasms.Cold treatments might include the use of ice packs, frozen vegetables, crushed ice pack mixed with rubbing alcohol frozen, after is comes to the slushy stage place it on the area of your pain using a light covering over the skin.
Heat Therapy – treatments can include moist heat: soaking in warm water, warming wet towels, or using a hot water bottle. Dry heat can include heat packs, using a heating pad for a limited amount of time; in addition some sufferers find that using an electric blanket work for soothing the pain, and achiness.
Paraffin Wax – is also used by dipping your hand in a paraffin bath. You may also find relief by alternating heat and cold water bath treatments.
Safety precautions should always to when working with heat and cold treatments on bare skin.
Hypnosis- Guided Imagery – Meditation
Hypnosis is a simple and easy way to reprogram the brains way of thinking, and can be used in this manner to help the brain’s pain perception. Many times when the pain starts we begin our brain goes on alert and our tension levels increase, as well as our anxiety. The more anxious we become the more we focus on the pain. Using self hypnosis, and breathing exercises you can teach your brain to stop the anxiety, and remain calm. This really is an amazing tool that is underutilized due to hypnosis being seen as a stage trick, or show. Hypnosis has been used by therapists, and in Eastern medicine and studies prove it works. Meditation and hypnosis should be a part of every fibromyalgia sufferer’s daily routine. I recommend Hypnoworld.com, or Hypnosis.org.
Magnetic Therapy
Magnetic therapy has been used for thousands of years, but has come more into the spot light with new research and technology. Studies are showing that medical magnets work by improving blood flow and decreasing inflammation. It has been proven to work for arthritis sufferers and fibromyalgia patients as well. Magnetic therapy is similar to acupuncture, but without needles. It can decrease pain, and increase positive energy, and stabilizing metabolic cell function. You can find magnetic products such a bracelets, magnetic bedding, magnetic pillow, and magnetic mattress pads that fibromyalgia sufferers give high marks too. If you suffer from arthritis you can find more information on magnetic arthritis relief using medical magnets by clicking blue links.
Fibromyalgia Massage
Neuromuscular Massage Increase blood supply to soft tissues, smooths nerve energy, targets the trigger points, and relaxes muscles. Find a massage therapist that understands that fibromyalgia patients have different massage needs due to the tight tender muscle sensitivity
Can include: Myofascial Release, Pressure Point Massage,Deep Tissue Release tension
Physical Therapy – Need A Doctors Order
Learn proper body mechanics, how to apply hot and cold therapy, range of motion exercises, and life style aids.
Relaxation Therapy
Relaxation techniques may include, guided imagery to help you focus on images that bring pleasure, prayer, hypnosis, which aids by focusing attention internally, rather than persisting with concentration on your other thoughts or anxieties. You may consider using biofeedback, which involves very sensitive electrical equipment that measures the reactions of your body, as well as the use of audio tapes for relaxation guidance. Also see hypnosis and stress relief CD’s and MP3 downloads.
Tai Chi- Quigong- Tai Chi Ball
Tai chi is a gentle martial art that was originally designed to prepare warriors for battle both mentally and physically. As fibromyalgia is a constant battle is makes perfect sense that this ancient art form works very well to help battle the chronic pain, and fibro fog. It encompasses breathing techniques, gentle movements for flexibility and strength, encourages positive energy balance, and meditation. Many people find the tai chi ball and meridian balls; can add an element of strength, meditation, and mental vitality as well.
Any martial art will take commitment and training and does require physical exertion.
Water or Aquatic Therapy
Aquatic therapy is very effective for people with fibromyalgia as it does not put any weight on the joints or muscles. Exercise is very important to staying flexible, maintaining stamina, decreasing fatigue , oxygenating the tissues, removing cellular waste, and helps maintain a your quality of life.
Yoga –Tai Chi
Breathing, stretching, maintains a positive flow of energy, socialization, relaxation, meditation, and muscle strength.
Utilize Support Groups as a means of education, and support. You are not alone, although it feels like it as you cocoon yourself in your bed, or on the couch due to your chronic pain, and fatigue. You know the saying “Use it or lose it” This is very true. Muscles atrophy or shrink from lack of use, muscles also become weaker which can lead to falls and more injuries. Living with the fibromyalgia pain is difficult, and someone who does not suffer from this chronic condition will never understand how difficult it can be to function, and live a normal life.
The best way to treat fibromyalgia is with knowlege, and trial and error. Keep trying different treatment options until you find one that works for you, the pain may never go away completely, but you don’ thave to stop living…… fibromyalgia pain relief is not a myth it is possible, but you must believe, and never give up.
Living with Fibromyalgia can be difficult enough, the flu like symptoms can keep you down, but toss in a migraine headache, and you can add even more pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and an even longer list of debilitating symptoms.
Migraines are very debilitating and can be triggered by many of the same things that trigger fibromyalgia: smells, food sensitivities, weather, light, sounds, and more. Migraines can be especially scary if they cause paralysis on one side of the body. These types of migraines are call hemi plegic, and should not be considered a normal migraine. If you suffer from this type make sure to speak with your Doctor.
Migraines, Fibromyalgia, IBS, Neck Pain, TMJ, or Panic Attacks Out of Control? Make Lifestyle Chang
Migraines, Fibromyalgia, IBS, Neck Pain, TMJ, or Panic Attacks Out of Control?
How can you take control of what is out of control? Begin with the basics. The basics mean making healthy lifestyle choices. Migraines, fibromyalgia, IBS, frequently neck pain, TMJ, and panic attacks are interrelated. The common denominator is migraine. I have chosen the phrase migraine syndrome to group the above symptoms together, because when you control migraines, then the migraine syndrome will improve. Successful migraine prevention depends greatly on understanding how lifestyle impacts the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.
People that are subject to the migraine syndrome have what I call the sensitive body. The body is more sensitive to light, sound, smell, food, and/or stress. It is important to remember that your body is sensitive. Avoid triggers. Triggers can be additive and total up to big trouble. The more trouble you have, the lower your threshold for developing symptoms. If your body is over-stimulated by triggers for a sufficient time period, then transformation of migraines occurs (migraine become more chronic) and more of the migraine syndrome is revealed. Transformation can ultimately lead to fibromyalgia. It is impossible to totally avoid triggers. Triggers are risk factors. Activities done to normalize the nervous system are protective factors. Lifestyle changes promoting protective factors and avoiding risk factors lead to good health.
Lifestyle changes markedly reduced the frequency of headache in studies that I have conducted. Let me prove my point. I have been the investigator in many medical research studies. In the late 1990’s, I did two studies that I found extremely revealing about the importance of lifestyle changes. They were simple preference studies. The patients would try the study drug and determine if the study drug was preferable over whatever over-the-counter medicine they were taking for migraine. In one study Imitrex was the medication studied, and in the other Amerge was the study medicine. Imitrex and Amerge are triptans. Triptans are drugs that help stop a migraine attack. In one study Imitrex was taken for three headaches and in the other study Amerge was taken for four headaches. The study patients were required to have five or six headaches a month in order to be enrolled into the study. In other words, these study patients’ lives were significantly impacted by having too many migraines. The patients had three months to complete the study. Assuming five to six headaches a month, then the study should only take a month. Nevertheless, they had three months. In both studies combined there were about seventy patients. My office treated these patients like regular migraine patients. We made the “mistake” of teaching the usual lifestyle changes-the changes I am about to teach you. Over half the study patients were unable to complete the study in three months! One patient did not have another headache in three months. Needless to say, we did not make that “mistake” again while conducting a study. We taught them lifestyle changes after the research projects were completed.
One of the basic needs is a consistent life. Everything needs to be done in a methodical way. Maintain adequate sleep-not too much and not too little. You need to go to bed at night and awaken in the morning at approximately the same time each and every day including weekends, holidays, and vacations. If you oversleep by more than one hour, you may feel hungover or tired, and you are definitely aggravating the migraine syndrome. Did you ever wonder why jet lag bothered you so much? Imagine awakening by 6:00 am weekdays and 8:30 or 9:00 am on weekends. That may explain weekend or Monday morning headaches or cricks in the neck. The fatigue is felt when you go on vacations and/or come home to reality. The variable sleep-patterns problems adversely affect high school and college students and night shift workers.
Eat regular meals. You need to eat breakfast! Commonly, I find migraineurs who just do not feel like eating early in the morning. Eat anyway. It does not have to be eggs and biscuits. A bowl of cereal or even a breakfast bar will work. Do not skip meals. If you do not eat, or if you eat junk food, you are setting yourself up for reactive hypoglycemia among a host of other problems. Consistent sleep and meals are very important. In other words, your life must be dull and boring-oops. What I meant to say is, the more regular your lifestyle is, the more protected you are from risk factors.
I will cover more lifestyle changes in subsequent articles. The subjects will include emotions, dietary triggers, medications, posture, physical activity, trauma, and environment. For more information, go to http://www.migrainesyndrome.net.
Fibromyalgia How Do You Cope?