Fibromyalgia is a condition that affects as many as 4 million Americans age 18 and up. Its characteristics include widespread muscle tenderness and stiffness, aching (particularly in areas where tendons insert and the soft tissues surround them), fatigue, difficulty sleeping, mental cloudiness (occasionally referred to as “fibro fog”), and a number of other symptoms. Even though chronic fatigue is very common, there is a lot yet to be understood about this condition.
For people with chronic fatigue, getting a conclusive diagnosis can be extremely frustrating as they go from one doctor visit to another, trying to understand the condition that they have. One of the main reasons for this is probably because the majority of the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia (pain, fatigue, and sleep problems) are symptoms of other disorders as well. Here are a few of the conditions that share symptoms with fibromyalgia, making it difficult to solidify a diagnosis:
- Sleep apnea – sleep apnea interrupts sleep due to issues with breathing while sleeping. This can lead to extreme fatigue and a constant feeling of waking up unrefreshed with little deep rest, similar to fibromyalgia.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) – this is considered a close cousin of fibromyalgia because the two conditions share very similar traits when it comes to fatigue. The difference is that people with CFS do not have the increase in pain sensitivity like individuals who have fibromyalgia do.
- Rheumatoid arthritis – this is a kind of arthritis that is different from other types of arthritis because it is an autoimmune condition. It is an inflammatory arthritis that attacks the lining of the joints, resulting in aches and pains that can be very similar to fibromyalgia.
- Hypothyroidism – when your thyroid gland does not work efficiently and does not produce enough hormone, it can cause your metabolism to slow down, resulting in cognitive issues and fatigue.
- Lupus – this autoimmune condition leads to inflammation throughout the body, which can mimic the aches and pains of fibromyalgia.
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Why Does Fibromyalgia Happen?
As more research is conducted in order to find the exact cause of fibromyalgia, currently there is still too much left unknown to come to any hard conclusions. What studies have shown us, though, is that people with chronic fatigue process pain differently than people who do not have the condition. This is because of changes in the central nervous system (CNS). It’s possible that the brain of chronic fatigue sufferers produces lower levels of specific neurotransmitters, which can result in an increase in pain sensitivity. There are other factors that may be contributing to the onset of symptoms:
- Emotional stress
- Physical injury or trauma
- Genetics
- Viral infection
- Lyme disease
An Impressive Natural Fibromyalgia Care Option
Among the many natural healthcare options that you have is upper cervical chiropractic care. The main benefit of upper cervical chiropractors is that their goal is to deal with the condition at the root cause instead of just relieving the surface symptoms. The upper cervical spine is composed of the top two vertebrae in the spine – your atlas (C1) and axis (C2). This area is a critical part of proper body alignment because the brainstem exits here at the base of the skull and travels through the spinal canal in the upper cervical region. If a spinal misalignment occurs here, which usually happens from a trauma, injury, or wear and tear, it can lead to neurological disturbances to the brainstem. This kind of interruption is what can cause a distortion or magnification of pain signals, leading to the symptoms of chronic fatigue.
Hopeful Outcomes for Fibromyalgia Sufferers Using Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care
If you’ve experienced other chiropractic care, you will notice that an upper cervical chiropractic practice such as ours does things very differently. Here are a few of the things you will experience while getting your specific condition examined:
- Detailed patient history – we will have a thorough conversation with you as we try to identify any links to injuries, traumas, or any other circumstances that could have contributed to the onset of your fibromyalgia symptoms. Most of our patients remember having some type of neck or head injury in their past, and not necessarily near the time of diagnosis. In fact, usually years have passed since the injury that possibly caused an upper cervical subluxation (misalignment) and the beginning of their fibromyalgia.
- Thorough examination – every one of our patients has come to us with unique needs for their condition, even down to their bone structure. This is the reason that we carefully measure each patient’s specific misalignment using diagnostic upper cervical x-rays and other examination protocols, allowing us to tailor our care to each individual’s needs.
- Specific corrections – our examination procedures give us the ability to tailor adjustments for each of our patients. The upper cervical chiropractic adjustments we provide are precise and gentle, not requiring the use of any forceful twisting or popping of the neck to achieve the desired correction. The longer our patients sustain their atlas adjustments, the more time their body can heal, uninterrupted.
Many patients have experienced a complete resolution in fibromyalgia symptoms by using upper cervical chiropractic care. The reason why this provides so much hope is because the goal of upper cervical chiropractic care is to restore healthy function to the central nervous system, making it possible for the body’s self-healing and self-regulating functions to work optimally once again. For chronic fatigue cases, if pain processing pathways are being disrupted because of an upper cervical misalignment, then spending time correcting the underlying cause can be a lasting solution.
References:
https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/fibromyalgia
https://fibromyalgianewstoday.com/2017/11/21/fibromyalgia-and-conditions-with-similar-symptoms/
http://www.mccoypress.net/juccr/docs/2015-1375_fibromyalgia.pdf
To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Hejny, call our Spring Lake Park office at 763-230-0116. 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.