Fibromyalgia is a crippling health problem that affects around 12 million people in the USA. It causes all kinds of issues ranging from debilitating pain all over the body to impaired cognition. Knowing if you have such a health condition as early as possible can make a lot of difference in formulating the best course of action to take.
So how do you know if you have fibromyalgia? What are the common signs you should look out for? When should you seek medical assistance? Let’s answer all these questions as we tackle the top 8 common fibromyalgia symptoms and how you can manage them better with chiropractic therapy in Escondido.
1. Pain
Many fibromyalgia patients who undergo chiropractic therapy in Escondido complain about mild to severe pain. Most of them can’t even remember a day where they didn’t have to deal with pain or increased sensitivity to touch. If you also have this condition, you might notice tenderness in some points of the body, such as:
- The muscles on the back of your shoulders
- The area behind the neck
- The lower neck, specifically the front part
- The basal region of your skull
- Somewhere on the upper part of your outer buttocks
- On your arm, specifically near the elbow
- Your hip bone and the tissues surrounding it
- One or both knees
- The edge of your chest
If you notice any of these tender points on your body, it may be time to consult with your primary healthcare provider. By doing so, you can confirm or disprove your suspicions.
2. Tingling or numbing sensation
Roughly 25 percent of people with fibromyalgia experience pins and needles sensation on the hands or feet. Otherwise known as paresthesia, this symptom often results from poor fluid circulation and constant pressure on the nerves.
3. Increased sensitivity to temperature changes
Adapting to fluctuating temperature can be difficult when you have fibromyalgia. For example, exposure to sudden bursts of heat while you’re driving around can immediately cause you discomfort. The same happens when the temperature suddenly drops.
A popular theory explains that patients with fibromyalgia have more temperature-sensing nerves on the AV shunts, a specialized blood vessel that controls blood flow according to the temperature changes.
4. Unexplainable fatigue
Most people think that fibromyalgia only causes pain. However, in truth, it also causes extreme and unexplainable fatigue. It can leave you feeling tired even after resting for long hours. This fibromyalgia symptom occurs in 4 out of 5 patients.
5. Digestive problems
Some of the common digestive problems that frequently occur with fibromyalgia include irritable bowel syndrome, spastic colon, abdominal cramps, bloatedness, and flatulence. You might also observe acid reflux and food intolerance.
6. Trouble sleeping at night
Struggling from physical pain and stiffness can make it quite difficult to rest at night. For this reason, it is common in fibromyalgia to suffer from sleep deprivation and have sleeping disorders such as insomnia as well as restless legs syndrome.
7. Impaired cognitive abilities
If you have been reading about fibromyalgia for quite a while, you must have encountered the word “fibro-fog” countless times. Essentially, when you have fibro-fog, concentrating and understanding even simple concepts become extra challenging. It can also cause you to have a hard time remembering things.
Unfortunately, while this fibromyalgia symptom is quite prevalent, its root cause remains a mystery to the medical community. So far, the most convincing theory explains that neck trauma may be the real reason behind a brain fog.
8. Chronic migraines or headaches
The latest data reveals that migraines, headaches, and fibromyalgia happen together. According to the findings, roughly 80 percent of patients. The most plausible explanation behind this lies in your upper cervical bones and spine alignment.
Most of the patients who report migraines or headaches with fibromyalgia previously suffered from a neck or head trauma. This has caused their spine or neck bones to get misaligned. Ultimately, such events lead to poor cerebrospinal drainage, irritated brainstem, and disrupted brain signals flow.
Fibromyalgia and Previous Neck or Head Injuries
After looking through the list of symptoms above, you may have noticed how most of them relate to neck injuries or the central nervous system’s condition. This is a prevalent trend observed in many studies that examine the relationship between neck injuries and fibromyalgia.
Findings reveal that accidents that result in a forceful overextension of the neck cause the bones to slide out of place. This causes physical stress on various parts of the body such as your head, spine, back, and brainstem. Besides the pain and discomfort, it can also trigger neurological diseases such as fibromyalgia.
Sometimes, the side effects of a previous injury take time to appear. It could occur weeks after your injury healed. Some patients even observe fibromyalgia onset years after their injury happened. However, if left undiscovered or unattended, your neck bone misalignment may continue to cause you health problems for years.
Beating Fibromyalgia with Chiropractic Therapy in Escondido
If you had an accident before, seeking chiropractic therapy in Escondido may be a life-changing experience for you. With this natural procedure, you can encourage the body to heal independently.
Fibromyalgia can cause you to miss out on special occasions or keep you from enjoying life. It may also leave a lasting effect on your loved ones. We believe it’s about time for you to take back your life with a promising relief option in the form of upper cervical chiropractic care for fibromyalgia in Escondido.
Through this gentle, customized, and precise natural remedy, you can potentially experience long-term benefits such as pain-relief and freedom from the fibromyalgia symptoms we noted above.
Start your chiropractic therapy in Escondido, California, today! Feel free to call us at 760-745-1511 or send a message online to book your first appointment with Dr. Rickards.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Rickards, call our Escondido office at (760) 274-0564. You can also click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.