What is Fibromyalgia?
Did you know that fibromyalgia is a condition that affects over 10 million Americans? Fibromyalgia is a disorder of the central nervous system which causes widespread muscle pain, tenderness, and fatigue. Fibromyalgia can be debilitating for men, women, young adults, adolescents, and even children as young as 3-5 years old. This chronic condition is not discerning and travels across all ethnic groups.
If you or your loved one receives a diagnosis of fibromyalgia or have been experiencing widespread body pain, fatigue, poor sleep, and mood problems, you may benefit from seeking relief through regular chiropractic treatment care. Leigh Brain & Spine is a chiropractic firm located in Chapel Hill that specializes in treatments for relief of fibromyalgia symptoms.
What Are the Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?
Pain Throughout the Body.
The pain associated with fibromyalgia often is described as a constant dull ache that has lasted for at least three months. The classification of “widespread” is used by doctors and to be such the pain must occur on both sides of your body and above and below your waist.
Fatigue.
People with fibromyalgia often wake up tired, even though they report sleeping for long periods of time. Sleep is often disrupted by pain many times making the symptoms worse throughout the day. This pain – sleeplessness pattern can become a vicious cycle keeping symptoms at higher levels for the sufferer.
Cognitive Impairment.
A symptom commonly referred to as “fibro fog” happens within the frontal area of your brain that controls, attention, working memory, and executive function skills such as planning and organization. This abnormal brain pattern impairs the ability to focus, pay attention and concentrate on mental tasks.
If you’re suffering daily from painful body sensations, then seeking relief through a course of gentle treatments from Leigh Brain & Spine may be the perfect solution. Pain symptoms will vary among individuals and include any combination of health problems:
- Whole body fatigue, tiredness, and malaise
- Muscle tenderness, muscle soreness, or spasms
- Pain and stiffness in muscles, abdomen, back or neck
- Tension headaches, migraines, or jaw pain
- Mental fog, forgetfulness, and issues with concentration
- Sleep issues, difficulty falling asleep, or sleep disturbances
- “Pins and needles” sensations of hands, feet, legs, and arms
- Frequent or painful urination or irritable bowel syndrome
- Anxiety, depression, or related psychological stress
Frequently Ask Question About Fibromyalgia
What are the Risk Factors for Fibromyalgia?
Women.
First and foremost, your sex. Fibromyalgia is diagnosed more often in women than in men. Women are much more likely to develop Fibromyalgia than are men. Men and women’s brain operate differently in the first place. The brain pattern of women, opposed to men, puts them at greater risk.
Family history.
This is a secondary factor that can put you at greater risk. Brain patterns run in families. There is a hereditary component to how our brains work. Children tend to have a similar brain pattern to one or both of their parents. This puts a person at greater risk if they have a family member suffering with Fibromyalgia.
How Can You Reduce Fibromyalgia Fast?
Gentle treatment by a skilled fibro-friendly chiropractor can be an effective tool in managing sensitive fibromyalgia symptoms and improving overall daily functioning. Adjusting the spine and massaging the back muscles to relieve back pain.
Spinal manipulation can be done either manually or using the DRX9000C to properly align the spine to relieve pressure on sensitive areas that may be contributing to fibromyalgia pain. Dr. Cosmas Leigh is the only chiropractor located in the Chapel Hill – Durham area who offers non-invasive pain relief using the DRX9000C, a spinal decompression device that provides fast relief for fibromyalgia and back pain.
Although there is no cure for Fibromyalgia it is known that it is caused and made worse by three types of brain patterns working in concert: (1) Low Activation of the Brain, (2) Stress, and (3) poor communication between brain areas. These patterns impact the processing of pain signals, thinking, and energy levels.
When these three brain patterns are addressed together, symptoms can reduce and be resolved much more quickly than if they are not. At Leigh Brain & Spine, the doctors identify the disrupted brain patterns using qEEG Brain Mapping and then make the brain work better using Neurofeedback Therapy.
What’s the Best Test to Identify Fibromyalgia?
New scientific findings show that Fibromyalgia is much better able to be understood by doctors now that they are using qEEG Brain Mapping to look at the brain’s functioning and how it is using energy.
Abnormal qEEG findings are known to be at the root of Fibromyalgia. In this way advances in neuroscience and technology are making it easier to identify and treat Fibromyalgia.
How is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed?
Traditional medical guidelines provide a Fibromyalgia diagnosis if a person has had widespread pain for more than three months — with no underlying medical condition that could cause the pain. In the past, tenderness touch point analysis would be performed in 18 spots across a person’s body to determine how many of them indicated pain. Much more measurable methods, such as qEEG Brain Mapping can be used to identify and visualize the brain functioning pattern and determine if it is operating with the pattern that has been proven by science to be linked to Fibromyalgia symptoms.
How Can Neurofeedback Therapy Help Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is known to be associated with an abnormal brain functioning pattern.
Scientists have identified a brain mode that is used when a person is healthy and has not health problems. Quantitative Electroencephalogram (qEEG) technology was used to find this brain pattern. If your brain is not using this mode and is instead using one that is too slow, has low activation, and poor communication between brain areas, you are at risk for Fibromyalgia.
This brain pattern, identified on qEEG as the Fibromyalgia pattern, can give the person pain, tiredness and thinking problems. Neurofeedback Therapy improves the way the brain is performing and thus reduces symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
Neurofeedback Therapy can improve the way your brain is performing. You brain can be shifted toward a more optimal mode proven to be symptom-free.
What’s the Most Effective Treatment for Fibromyalgia?
Neurofeedback Therapy is a clinically proven, drug free, non invasive treatment option that can then change the brain pattern toward the optimal one proven to be symptom-free. When the brain is working better, the flow of information from the brain to the body is improved and symptoms can be reduced.
What Do I Do If I Think I Have Fibromyalgia?
First visit your primary care physician. He or she will rule out all other causes for the pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties. Your doctor will make sure you are not suffering from a more serious health condition. If you would like to speed up your recovery from Fibromyalgia and address the underlying brain pattern associated with your symptoms, call the professionals at Leigh Brain & Spine, (919) 401-9933, fill out the form below or more information you can find here. The doctors can perform a qEEG Brain Map to evaluate your brain function to determine if you are a strong candidate for Neurofeedback Therapy.
