Fibromyalgia Pain is Chronic
Living with severe pain is not an easy task. A primary symptom
of fibromyalgia is pain that occurs in the muscles. Peripheral nerves undergo a series of changes resulting in severe pain. This
pain can be classified into two categories - acute pain, chronic pain. Acute pain is a short-term pain that occurs for
shorter periods and there is other pain that is there for a long time called chronic pain. Fibromyalgia pain is chronic in the
trigger points with acute pain as a result of muscles that cannot relax.
Fibromyalgia patients are super sensitive to pain. We can follow one lady who was suffering from severe pain for
almost 15 years as the result of a trauma. Because of the fibromyalgia, the pain pathway started sending repeated pain signals to
the brain for long periods of time leaving the pain pathways chronically hyper-sensitized.
The serotonin level in this lady was low because of fibromyalgia. A reduced amount of encephalin, a natural
painkiller was released due to the reduced serotonin secretion in the body. This pain not only affected the brain but also
affected neighboring nerve pathways. Therefore this pain affected the spinal cord resulting in aches all over the body. She was
determined to manage the fibromyalgia and found relief by monitoring her treatments.
Pain Management Techniques
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Medication and its courses varies from person to person. She first approached her physician and spoke to him
about her pain medication - over the counter as well as prescription medication and their associated risk and
benefits. By doing so she reduced the amount of medication she was taking and relied on her doctor’s advice.
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She changed her lifestyle by applying relaxation techniques such as meditation and deep breathing
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Then she also tried other treatment methods like massage therapy, acupunture, and acupressure for obtaining pain
relief
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Therapeutic heat devices to relive pain and reduce spasms
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She started participating in biofeedback sessions
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She used other alternative techniques like cupping found in many spa treatments
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She consulted her physician about the level of exercise appropriate for her and started doing it on a regular basis
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She also tried chiropractor manipulation
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She started tracking the activity that caused more pain throughout the day and avoided those tasks
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She made sure she was preoccupied her in music and other entertainment to avoid dwelling on the pain
It’s impossible to say if following the same treatments will help you with your fibromyalgia symptoms.
Everyone’s pain is different and you will experience symptoms according to your lifestyle. By following a similar course of
trial treatments and recording the results, you may be able to manage fibromyalgia yourself and avoid high medical costs.
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