Living With Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia tops the list of most common chronic pain conditions. In addition to widespread pain throughout your body, fibromyalgia symptoms can include:

• Fatigue
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
• Frequent headaches
• Tingling in your feet and hands
• Lower abdominal pain
• Painful menstrual periods
• Restless leg syndrome
• Depression 

While fibromyalgia can develop in anyone of any age—even children—75-90 percent of cases occur in women.

As pain management specialists, Dr. Victor E. Mendoza and our Vulcan Pain Management team understand the toll persistent fibromyalgia pain can have on your physical health and quality of life. With locations in Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, we can help you find innovative pain management solutions to help take back your life. 

The root of fibromyalgia pain

Fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder associated with how your brain processes pain. This condition seems to develop when the chemical messengers in your brain that transmit pain signals, known as neurotransmitters, increase. At the same time, the pain receptors in your brain become more sensitive, overreacting to messages they receive from your neurotransmitters. 

Several factors can trigger these changes in your brain chemicals, including:

• Being a woman
• Having a family history of the condition
• Living with conditions like lupus, osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis

There isn’t a cure for this complex condition, but our personalized approach can help manage your symptoms and improve your overall health.

Living with fibromyalgia 

We recommend a combination of therapies for fibromyalgia to help reduce your pain and improve your overall symptoms. 

Medications

While there isn’t a specific drug to treat fibromyalgia, we rely on a variety of medications to help control your symptoms. These might include over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers, antidepressants, and antiseizure drugs. These medications can help ease your discomfort, relieve your fatigue, and help promote restful sleep.

Physical therapy

It’s hard to motivate yourself to move your body when you have chronic or persistent pain, but staying active is essential for managing fibromyalgia. We can help design a personalized physical therapy approach to help improve your flexibility, strength, and stamina. We can also recommend ways to change how you perform certain tasks or work to reduce the stress they put on your body.

Additional therapies that can help manage fibromyalgia symptoms include acupuncture, massage therapy, and yoga or tai chi.

Lifestyle changes

In addition to medical treatment for fibromyalgia, taking the right steps with your self-care is crucial for keeping your symptoms under control. These areas emphasize: 

• Practicing stress management techniques
• Getting enough sleep
• Engaging in regular exercise
• Following a healthy diet
• Limiting caffeine 

When you have fibromyalgia, it’s also important to keep an eye on your activity level. This means taking care to avoid overdoing it when you’re feeling your best and not limiting yourself too much when you’re at your worst.

For more information on living with fibromyalgia, call us at Vulcan Pain Management or schedule an appointment online today.