To say that fibromyalgia is all-encompassing is an understatement, given that the hallmark of the condition is chronic and widespread pain. And that's just the tip of the iceberg for many.
For the millions of Americans who are struggling with fibromyalgia — the condition affects 6% of people, which equals about 20 million Americans — life can be challenging. Making matters even more complicated is the fact that there’s no cure for the condition, but that hardly means you’re without solutions.
As our name suggests, our team at Pain Medicine Consultants focuses on providing much-needed pain relief for those in need. Based on decades of experience, our team understands the nature of pain and how it can impact your quality of life.
When it comes to complex conditions like fibromyalgia, pain management can be more challenging, but certainly achievable. Let’s take a look.
If you're reading this, we’re going to assume that you know a bit about fibromyalgia, so we’ll be brief.
In short, fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that can cycle through quiet periods and flare-ups. When the condition flares, it can lead to:
These symptoms can also lead to issues with anxiety and depression, which makes sense given the wide net that fibromyalgia casts over your wellness.
Fibromyalgia affects women far more than men — women account for 80% to 90% of cases — but there’s some underreporting in men, so these numbers might be high.
Now let’s turn our attention to effective treatment options for fibromyalgia, which include:
Aside from these medications, we also highly recommend adjunct therapies that can really make a difference in your symptoms. For example, stress is a major trigger for fibromyalgia flare-ups, so engaging in relaxation practices, such as yoga, mediation, and deep breathing, is a good idea.
Gentle exercise can also naturally boost feel-good brain chemicals and reduce inflammation and muscle tension, so we strongly suggest engaging in physical therapy or creating your own daily exercise plan (we can help you with this).
Lastly, it’s important to prioritize sleep. When you’re fatigued, pain hits harder, so we want you to implement good sleep hygiene, meaning creating a schedule for sleep and facilitating sleep by turning off screens and eliminating distractions.
In most cases, we work with fibromyalgia patients until we find the right combination of treatments that not only relieves the pain, but improves quality of life.
To get on the road to relief from your fibromyalgia symptoms, we invite you to contact one of our offices in Pleasant Hill, Corte Madera, or Pleasanton, California, to schedule a consultation.
