A comprehensive look at Fibromyalgia pain, its symptoms, triggers, and effective strategies to manage and alleviate discomfort.
When most people get a fibromyalgia diagnosis, the first questions they have are about what to expect and about their long-term fibromyalgia prognosis. Fibromyalgia is a complex condition affecting multiple systems of the body. Unfortunately, it is often misunderstood by friends, family, and doctors on the outside. That is just another reason we are so passionate about what I like to call “accurate awareness” When you are first diagnosed with fibromyalgia, you may find it…
Could a weighted blanket become an effective addition to your fibromyalgia treatment plan? We all know the importance of comfort while sleeping, but with fibromyalgia, this becomes even more essential due to the tendency of poor regeneration. When chronic fatigue leaves you irritable or the pain becomes too intense, you may want to give yourself permission to cuddle up with a blanket. These blankets are now used to treat a wide variety of medical conditions…
Some people do not realize that their fibromyalgia and vision problems may be related. While there is no way to determine with certainty that vision problems are exacerbated by your fibromyalgia, it is common for those of us living with fibromyalgia and its primary co-conditions to experience a variety of issues related to the eyes. Here is a list of some problems that are commonly reported: Some fibromyalgia patients have two or more sets of…
Clavicle or shoulder pain in fibromyalgia is like any other symptom in that it can easily wax and wane, but might be more common than you think. With a recent shoulder injury (and labral tear) myself, I have seen even more clearly the process of shoulder injuries, stiffness, and how fibromyalgia symptoms can “interplay” with common shoulder/ clavicle injuries or tears. One thing I do in working with fibromyalgia is to convey the importance of…
It is not so uncommon to experience fibromyalgia and ankle pain. Although it might not be one of your first symptoms when living with fibromyalgia, you might find that you start experiencing pain in one or both ankles. This pain may extend to your toes, heel, and even up into your calves. It may also just stay around your ankles and may or may not come with swelling. This is an important weight-bearing area of…
When fibromyalgia affects the lower part of the body, this is somewhat different than upper body pain due to the weight-bearing nature of both legs and feet. Although this is just one area of the body affected, I rarely meet a person with fibromyalgia who does not have some kind of leg and/or fibromyalgia foot pain. Fibromyalgia foot pain can be exacerbated by multiple trigger points in the lower body, overactive nerves, and even ongoing…
Adrenal stress and adrenaline dominance can occur when our adrenal glands accumulate too much stress while creating imbalance within the pituitary and hypothalamus (in the brain). This can be common with any chronic illness due to the internal physiological stress on the body. Fibromyalgia and all of its complexities can present a real challenge to the entire endocrine system and especially the adrenal glands. Many people say the words “adrenal fatigue” but we need to…
Sciatica pain and fibromyalgia often coexist in the same person but may require different treatments and pain management options. Fibromyalgia itself is known for causing pain in various regions of the body. Many of us living with fibromyalgia may also have secondary diagnoses when symptoms overlap with other conditions. As complex as fibromyalgia is, we don’t want to miss other conditions that may need separate attention. Sciatica is one of the most common conditions to…
It is not uncommon to have hip flexor issues, or pain in this area with fibromyalgia. The hips, hip flexors, and lower back correlate with fibromyalgia pain areas due to tender areas around the lower back, many more trigger point areas and other conditions that affect the surrounding areas. The hip flexor muscles allow your hips to move with flexibility. You are engaging these muscles whenever you move your legs, and that means your hips…
Many people assume that carpal tunnel syndrome only occurs in people who spend a lot of time typing on a computer or engaging in repetitive motions like swinging a tennis racket, but this is far from the truth. This syndrome produces pain, stiffness, numbness, tingling, and/or burning from the compression of the median nerve located in the wrist and forearm area. While an activity like typing on a computer can put strain on this nerve and is…