An in-depth guide on Fibromyalgia, covering its symptoms, causes, treatments, and tips for managing this chronic condition effectively.
Getting older certainly has its perks, but the reality is that aging can take its toll on many of us, despite our efforts to get out there and stay active—especially as the cold weather sets in. No, it wasn’t an exaggeration when your mother/father/grandmother or someone else rubbed their knee/elbow/back, winced and muttered, “I can feel a storm coming on.” Yes, there is evidence that shows a link between weather changes and chronic pain, especially…
Earlier this month, superstar Lady Gaga took to social media to announce that she has long struggled with fibromyalgia. The news has put the painful and poorly understood illness center stage. Just this week, the singer announced on Twitter that she’s postponing the European leg of her 2017 “Joanne” concert tour due to what she described as fibromyalgia-related “trauma and chronic pain.” Gaga hasn’t offered up details of her condition, although it comes just before…
If you’ve had sciatica leg pain, you know it can be miserable—shooting pain in your leg and sometimes tingling, weakness, or numbness. Sciatica pain starts when something in your body, often a herniated disk, is pressing on the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down the back of your legs. The good news is that most people with sciatica start to feel better within a few weeks. For some, though, the pain continues for a year or longer.…
Women who live with chronic pain seek relief through all kinds of treatments, from acupuncture to physical therapy, medication to psychology. But in recent years, researchers have proven a multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain management can offer substantial and sustained pain relief. Even if you have explored multiple treatment modalities, you likely haven’t experienced a true multidisciplinary pain management program. That’s because they are few and far between. These complex team-driven programs require resources typically…
It’s bad enough to have a headache or backache. But when literally everything seems to hurt, you’re truly miserable. You can have trouble getting through simple daily activities and may find it hard to get a good night’s sleep. That can make the pain even worse. The good news is that whole-body pain relief is possible. The first step is finding out what is causing your pain. There are at least 20 different issues that can cause total…
As a physical therapist, my job is to assist my patients to move better, get stronger, and most often to reduce their pain. This is an important, gratifying, and yet often challenging profession. This is in part due to my own daily chronic pain that is primarily in my low back and tailbone. I have been in some level of pain constantly for the past ten years. Click Here to Visit the Store and find…
Are your feet something you think about only when they hurt? Simple steps can protect them from common problems, some of which are hard to get rid of. READ: The Ways to Treat Your Feet Right The first step is to wear shoes, such as water slip-ons, in moist environments like indoor swimming pools and communal showers at the gym. Damp areas allow bacteria and viruses to thrive, and walking barefoot makes you more susceptible…
If your car was rear-ended two days ago, and you wake up with neck pain, the cause is obvious: you’re likely suffering from whiplash. Other times the cause of your neck injury can be more mysterious. Sometimes you wake up with a “crick” in your neck and have no idea why. Understanding the cause of your neck pain is the first step in figuring out how to treat it. Here are some of the most…
Q: In addition to medication, how can I manage my fibromyalgia? A: Medications may be necessary to manage your fibromyalgia, but there also are a number of day-to-day strategies for coping with the disease. Your psychological outlook is important, with studies finding benefits from cognitive therapy for women with fibromyalgia. Specifically, studies find, negative thinking increases stress and affects your perception of pain, so learning to minimize and control these thoughts can improve your symptoms.…
Everyone who has survived a summer in the United States knows that temperatures can easily exceed 100 degrees. Natives may brush it off saying “at least it’s a dry heat,” but extreme heat actually has a negative impact on the body if you’re not careful. In fact, some studies have even linked heat to chronic pain conditions! When the body heats up due to exercise or external conditions, the natural response is to sweat so…