Fibromyalgia is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Things can get confusing if you do not have all of the symptoms or if you have other medical conditions along with fibromyalgia (FM). There is no specific medical test that can be done to confirm or deny a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. This is something your doctor or fibromyalgia chiropractor in Farmington has to conclude after talking to you extensively about your specific symptoms and possibly ruling out other conditions that may cause similar symptoms.
If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you might have the following:
Let’s take a closer look at just a few of these and see what they involve. Then we will discuss a way to find relief.
Pain and tender points: FM causes you to feel pain all over such as osteoarthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis, but rather than being in one location, it is all over your body and probably causing you to visit your doctor. The pain is described as deep, dull, throbbing, sharp, or aching. It is in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons around the joints. It may be intermittent and travel through the body.
Tender spots are areas around your joints that hurt when pressed gently with a finger. If you do not have FM, you will simply feel light pressure. If you do have FM, you will feel extreme pain. The tender spots are in predictable spots in the body, often under the surface of the skin. It is the tissue that hurts rather than the joints themselves.
Fatigue: Most people with fibromyalgia have problems falling asleep. Or you may fall asleep but your sleep may be easily disturbed, causing you to feel very tired when you wake up in the morning. No amount of sleep completely relieves the fatigue. Sleep lab results show that people with FM are often disturbed from sleep by a burst of brain activity similar to what happens when we are awake. This limits their deep sleep, hindering the body from getting restorative sleep and making them feel exhausted.
Mood disorder: As many as 50 percent of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia also have depression or an anxiety disorder. This may be due to feeling tired all the time and being in pain. This can be stressful and cause you to continuously worry about how to keep up with your lifestyle. You may become less active and more withdrawn. It is also possible that anxiety and depression are part of FM itself. You might also have a hard time with short-term memory loss.
Morning stiffness: You might feel as if you need to “loosen up” after you get out of bed or before starting your day. This is because the back, arm, and leg muscles feel stiff. The stiffness can last a few minutes or as long as 15 to 20 minutes a day. In some cases, it lasts longer or lingers all day long.
Swelling and tingling in the hands and feet: This is referred to as paresthesia, and the cause of it is unclear. It happens randomly and can last for short periods of time or be a constant feeling. The stiffness can be bothersome but does not interfere with doing routine tasks.
If you are suffering from this disabling condition, you are probably wondering if anything can improve your condition. Well, it has been seen that upper cervical chiropractic care has had much success in helping people with fibromyalgia. Let’s look at one woman’s struggle and how she overcame it.
A 45-year-old woman had endured 2 head traumas, 10 vehicle accidents, and then was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She had been suffering for 11 years before seeking the care of an upper cervical chiropractor. She was experiencing migraines, numbness in her fingers, sciatica that went down both of her legs, duodenal cancer, pain in her neck which was chronic, right knee pain, and depression.
Previously, she had sought care from 5 different chiropractors and her medical doctor. She found some relief but not enough. She still suffered. In fact, it got so bad that she needed to use a wheelchair just to perform her daily routine. She was unable to walk even 20 feet, she could not swim, and she could not climb the stairs.
After beginning to receive care from an upper cervical chiropractor, she noticed a great improvement. She was able to discontinue using her wheelchair. Sciatica in her left leg went away and her symptoms of fibromyalgia decreased greatly. She was able to sleep better and in any position without experiencing pain. She noted that she had more energy and felt much calmer. She was able to perform her daily routine and got off all of her medication. Her right leg sciatica improved by 60%.
At her second re-evaluation, it was reported that her migraines and back pain had disappeared. Her right leg sciatica was mostly gone. After just six months of care, her right knee was no longer hurting. She was now able to swim, do yard work, and stand for long periods of time.
A misalignment of the bones of the upper neck often follows a head or neck trauma. This can put pressure on the brainstem and cause it to send improper signals to the brain about what is happening in the body. This is often the cause of fibromyalgia. By correcting this misalignment, using a gentle method, we, here at Premier Family Wellness and Spinal Care, are often able to help our patients with fibromyalgia find Farmington, MI fibromyalgia relief.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Perkins, call 248-780-8864 or just click the button below area
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
Dr. Perkins grew up in Novi, Michigan and attended Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. He received his Doctorate Magna Cum Laude with a focus on Upper Cervical Chiropractic care. Chris is well known in the community for his public speaking and holds a number of professional certifications. We are proud to say that Dr. Perkins and Perkins Family Wellness has been recognized by Hour Magazine as one of the Top Chiropractors in Metro Detroit for 3 years in row.
