Fibromyalgia: There Is Relief

You’ve developed chronic pain. Your body just seems to hurt all over. It’s not only in one place — it’s widespread. You may also experience a complete lack of energy and be unable to carry out your normal tasks during the day. What’s going on? It could be fibromyalgia, a condition that can become debilitating if left untreated. 

Our caring staff at Apollo Pain Management in Sun City Center, Florida, gets to the root of your pain. We see patients with pain of many etiologies, and our board-certified pain-management physician conducts a series of tests to confirm fibromyalgia and rule out other conditions that cause similar symptoms such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. 

What is fibromyalgia? 

Fibromyalgia is a condition causing pain in your joints and muscles as well as undue fatigue. Perhaps it’s a burning pain or tight feeling in your left and/or right side in both your upper and lower body. Your shoulder, arm, or jaw may be hurting; at the same time, you may also have pain in one or both hips, buttocks, or legs. You may also experience a range of other uncomfortable symptoms. Scientists still haven’t discovered what causes this ailment, but they believe it’s an abnormality in how your brain processes the pain messages from your nerves. 

Effective treatments for fibromyalgia

If Apollo Pain Management staff diagnose you with fibromyalgia, you want to get the most effective treatments to help you pick up where you left your normal life. Following are treatments that help our patients get their fibromyalgia under control. 

Pain relief medication

Drugs specifically recommended for fibromyalgia pain including the following prescription medications: 

• Duloxetine (Cymbalta) was previously prescribed for those suffering from depression, anxiety, and peripheral neuropathy. 
• Pregabalin (Lyrica) was originally approved for treating seizures, peripheral neuropathy, and shingles. 
• Milnacipran (Savella) was developed specifically for fibromyalgia. It has a similar effect on the body as anti-depression drugs.

Antidepressants 

Because they have chronic pain, it’s not uncommon for fibromyalgia patients to suffer from depression and/or insomnia, especially if the condition has greatly affected their quality of life. If you can’t enjoy your favorite hobby or sport, or if you’ve had to take temporary disability from work and your finances are affected, it’s understandable that you may develop anxiety or depression along with insomnia. 

Your caring Apollo Pain Management staff may also prescribe an antidepressant to help lift your mood. Antidepressants increase neurotransmitter action in your brain; they also help relieve pain in some fibromyalgia patients. 

Muscle relaxers 

If your muscles are bunched into knots, your doctor may give you a temporary supply of muscle relaxants. They’ll help you regain range of motion in a shoulder or leg where muscles have seized up. Muscle relaxants can also aid your fatigue, pain, and sleep.  

Sleep medication 

Adequate sleep is imperative for your health. If you haven’t slept well for weeks, your immune system is likely impaired. Your doctor may prescribe a temporary supply of a sleep aid to help you return to a normal sleep schedule. These can become addictive if continued, so we want you to taper off them once your condition improves. 

Physical therapy 

If your range of motion has been impacted by your fibromyalgia, your Apollo Pain Management staff may prescribe physical therapy to help you regain lost mobility and flexibility. Once your stiffness subsides, moderate exercise is our “prescription.” 

Moderate exercise

Getting regular low-impact exercise helps combat fibromyalgia symptoms. Exercise can be just as effective in helping you get better sleep than a sleep aid, which has side effects and eventually becomes addictive. 

Low-impact aerobic exercise such as walking or biking increases the endorphins in your system, helping to make you feel better and relieve the focus on your pain. Gentle yoga, tai chi, or Pilates helps strengthen your muscles and increases flexibility and range of motion. Exercise is also a great mechanism for stress relief, an important antidote to fibromyalgia pain. 

Ask your general practitioner to refer you to Apollo Pain Management for special help in relieving chronic pain.