If you did a search for fibromyalgia treatment Visalia, chances are, our experienced clinicians can help.
Fibromyalgia is one of the most common of all pain-causing syndromes in the country. Almost 5 million Americans are affected by fibromyalgia, and between 80-90% of those who have it are women and residents in the Central Valley are not alone.
Individuals with fibromyalgia typically experience various problems getting through their daily activities, but a physical therapy treatment program can address just about all aspects of this condition and significantly improve patients’ lifestyles.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome, meaning that most individuals who get it have it for a while. Symptoms usually start to develop in women between ages 30-50, but cases occur at younger ages and in men as well. The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it’s thought to be due to changes in how the nervous system processes pain. In some people it may be triggered by trauma, surgery, infection, arthritis or major emotional stress, while it develops gradually over time in others.
Not just an individual condition, fibromyalgia is actually a complex syndrome with many components. For this reason, it can include many different signs and symptoms, such as widespread pain, tender points throughout the body, muscle stiffness, fatigue, depression/anxiety, thinking or memory problems, and numbness/tingling sensations. These symptoms can really get in the way of functioning normally in daily life and may also lead to reduced physical activity. Over time, this can decrease overall fitness levels and result in other health-related problems, too.
Although there is no cure for fibromyalgia, physical therapy can significantly help patients by easing symptoms and improving their quality of life. A typical physical therapy program for fibromyalgia will consist of the following:
- Aerobic exercise recommendations (brisk walking, bicycling, swimming, etc.)
- Stretching and strengthening exercises
- Class 4, cold laser
- Ice and/or heat therapy to reduce pain levels
- Hands-on therapy techniques applied to painful areas (manual therapy)
- Water-based, or aquatic exercise
To illustrate how physical therapy and physical activity can help, a powerful recent study provided the following remarks:
When compared with control, moderate-quality evidence indicates that aerobic exercise probably improves HRQL (Health Related Quality of Life) and all-cause withdrawal, and low-quality evidence suggests that aerobic exercise may slightly decrease pain intensity, may slightly improve physical function, and may lead to little difference in fatigue and stiffness. Three of the reported outcomes reached clinical significance (HRQL, physical function, and pain).
Reference: Aerobic exercise training for adults with fibromyalgia.
Important: fibromyalgia patients generally need special pacing and graded treatment programs. In our experience, this combined with therapeutic education and short-term use of modalities like the cold laser, can result in significant improvements.
So if you’re dealing with chronic pain and you did a search for fibromyalgia treatment Visalia to find an experienced clinician, we strongly recommend that you see one of our physical therapists for a comprehensive evaluation and personalized treatment program designed specifically with your goals and abilities in mind.
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