26 Aug Tips for Living with Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal disorder that causes joint pain, tenderness and fatigue.
Fibromyalgia is the second most common disorder in people today. Although there is no way to prevent fibromyalgia, things can be done to help avoid “flare-ups”. A fibromyalgia flare- up is when pain and fatigue peak randomly. The pain is both a consistent muscle ache along with shooting pains. The fatigue can be completely incapacitating. These are some tips to help prevent fibromyalgia flare ups:
- do not overexert yourself; know when to stop
- try to stay calm and not stress over little things
- do not travel excessively
- do light exercise regularly
- eat healthy
- get enough rest
- keep a log of your flare ups
Sleep is important when dealing with fibromyalgia because it can help to break the pain cycle. Not sleeping enough or sleeping in an uncomfortable place can cause your body to be in pain. This pain will then prevent you from sleeping. This lack of sleep will lead to more pain. This is the pain cycle. Reading, taking warm baths and turning off electronics can help your body to relax and fall asleep faster.
Avoiding stress goes along with relaxing and sleeping. De-stressing activities include meditating, light exercise and deep breathing. Do not use drugs or alcohol to de-stress, this can make symptoms worse. Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly have also been linked to reducing flare-ups.
Overexerting yourself and taking on more tasks than you can handle can cause a flare-up or cause an already existing flare-up to become more painful. A good idea of how to reduce your chances of causing a flare-up is to keep a log of activities that you did that seem to lead to flare-ups. This will allow you to see what things seem to aggravate your system, thus allowing you to avoid these activities and reduce your pain.
Lake Country Physical Therapy & Sportscare PC offers the very best physical therapy in Ontario County. We treat all your wants and needs with our trusted and experienced Physical Therapists and staff. To begin to feel pain and stress free, start your Physical Therapy journey today and schedule your evaluation by calling (585) 396-1400.