What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is an illness that causes people to experience pain in multiple places all over their body. There is a total of 18 different possible pain points on the body (9 pairs of 2 points each.) People who suffer from fibromyalgia have pain in a minimum of 11 different pain points at a time, and the pain is chronic (lasting for at least 3 months consecutively.) Some of the most common pain points for fibromyalgia sufferers include the lower back, the upper back, and the area where the neck connects to the spine.
What Are the Signs of Fibromyalgia?
The most obvious symptom of fibromyalgia is pain. The pain can range from mildly inconvenient to extremely severe. Some people who have fibromyalgia are so plagued by pain that they are unable to live their lives normally anymore. While pain is the primary symptom of fibromyalgia, there can be a range of other symptoms, too. These may include depression, mood swings, headaches, stiffness in the joints, exhaustion, and insomnia along with a range of other potential symptoms.
What is the Cause of Fibromyalgia?
At this time, the exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known. Some medical experts believe that fibromyalgia happens because of neurochemical imbalance. Imbalances of this type could potentially make a person have major pain even if the trigger is only minor pressure. People who have rheumatic diseases, for example, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, may have an increased risk for fibromyalgia. It also appears that there is a family connection in some cases, as people who have relatives with fibromyalgia have a higher chance of having it themselves.
How Does Chiropractic Care Address Fibromyalgia?
Chiropractic care addresses fibromyalgia by dealing with the patient's symptoms on an individual basis. First, the chiropractor will identify exactly which of the pain points are causing consistent trouble for the patient. This will be done during a gentle physical exam using only minimal pressure. In most cases of fibromyalgia, there are specific upper cervical adjustments that can be performed for great relief.