6 Ways to Better Thrive While Managing Fibromyalgia

If you’re one of the 2% of Americans who’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, you may have trouble getting through your day. Between discomfort and fatigue, this frustrating chronic pain condition can sap your energy, leaving you listless and even hopeless.

In fact, fibromyalgia can have such a devastating effect on your life that it’s sometimes misdiagnosed as depression. But fibromyalgia isn’t “all in your head.” It might more accurately be described as “all in your body” because almost any joint or tissue can be affected by overly sensitive neural pathways.

At Advanced Medical Care in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, our experienced providers help you manage the challenges of fibromyalgia. We offer a variety of therapies and interventions to subdue pain and help you regain your energy.

Do you want to thrive better with fibromyalgia? Here are six ways to do so.

1. Lifestyle changes

Although it may seem too good to be true, simply changing some of your lifestyle habits may give you relief from fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. Because your nerves tend to be overactive in this condition, stress relief and other modalities that support your body may be helpful. Try:

• Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing
• Regular exercise and activity
• A whole-food, anti-inflammatory diet
• Drinking plenty of water
• Massage
• Meditation

Adopting healthy lifestyle choices may also help you lose excess weight. Carrying extra pounds can stress your joints and the tissues that support them, triggering a fibromyalgia flare. 

2. Sleep therapy

If you have fibromyalgia, chronic pain may make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. In a vicious cycle, insomnia can then worsen your fibromyalgia pain because your body doesn’t have a chance to fully relax and restore itself at night.

Our team offers sleep medicine so you can retrain your body to fall deeply and fully asleep. We also evaluate your other conditions, such as sleep apnea, which may be contributing to the cycle of insomnia and fibromyalgia pain.

3. Medications

Whether as an adjunct to lifestyle changes or a sole intervention, you may benefit from different medications that help calm your nervous system and alleviate pain. Some interventions include:

• Antidepressants
• Anticonvulsants
• Prescription pain medications

Ideally, you should use pain medications for short-term relief to avoid dependency. We may recommend them as a bridge to give you relief as you start making changes in your life.

4. Intravenous (IV) therapy  

Intravenous (IV) therapy can be helpful in relieving the chronic pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia. Some patients find relief with the anesthetic ketamine. We might recommend regular vitamin and antioxidant infusions that include glutathione.

Glutathione is a tripeptide that your mitochondria use to repair damaged cells and DNA. As you age or undergo stress, your glutathione levels decrease. Regular IV infusions of glutathione not only rehydrate your body, but also resupply it with this powerful antioxidant.

5. Physical therapy

If your joints hurt, or if you’re in too much pain to move, your fibromyalgia may worsen. A physical therapist (PT) works with you to gradually build strength, flexibility, and endurance so your body gets the exercise it needs to stay healthy.

Your PT may give you specific exercises to help areas of your body that are especially painful. They may use a combination of resistance bands, kinesiology tape, and fascia rolling to help your body release tension and gain strength.

6. Acupuncture and massage

Trigger points are areas where your muscles develop knots due to the tension of clenching from pain or misalignment. Trigger-point massage can help release those knots. Other forms of massage relax your nervous system or heal aching tissues.

Acupuncture can also be an effective tool against fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. Additionally, it may help you attain a deeper and more restful sleep.

You don’t have to give up on the lifestyle you once loved due to fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. Find ways to thrive with the help of our caring team at Advanced Medical Care. Call us or connect with us online to schedule an appointment.