The Cost of Fibromyalgia and How to Alleviate Symptoms

Fibromyalgia affects as many as 100 million Americans. These sufferers are dishing out as much as $1,000 a month in addition to what their insurance covers for alternative therapies. The annual cost to the those in the U.S. comes in at $14 billion on a yearly basis. This accounts for a loss of up to 2 percent of overall productivity. This shows how fibromyalgia not only affects your health and well-being but also your finances.

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia, often abbreviated as FM, is a condition known for widespread pain throughout the body. It impacts you emotionally, physically, and on a social level. The pain is described as shooting, stabbing, twitching, aching, or throbbing. You may also experience the following symptoms:

• Numbness or a “pins and needles” feeling
• Difficulty getting moving in the morning
• Extreme fatigue
• Low energy
• Relentless pain that can be unbearable at times
• Sporadic symptoms with severe episodes
• Inability to perform routine daily tasks
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Headaches and migraines
• Memory and concentration problems referred to as “fibro fog”

What Can Help Fibromyalgia?

Those suffering from fibromyalgia may benefit from taking part in a pain management program. Prescription medications may be prescribed by your primary care doctor. He or she may recommend pregabalin, duloxetine, or milnacipran. Other suggestions may include the following:

• Managing your sleep patterns
• Seeking help from a mental health professional to learn to cope with the pain
• Massage
• Physical therapy
• Stress management

Finding the Underlying Cause of Fibromyalgia

A connection has been seen between a misalignment in the bones of the upper cervical spine and the onset of fibromyalgia. This area of the neck is rich in nerves that run throughout the body. A misalignment can put the brainstem under pressure and cause the nervous system to malfunction. If improper signals are sent to the brain that there is pain when there is, in fact, no pain, fibromyalgia can ensue.

Here at Advanced Spinal Care in Redwood City, California, we use a gentle method to help realign the bones of the neck without having to crack or pop the spine. This allows the body to heal itself while not adding any further stress or pain to the patient. This often helps restore communication between the body and brain and alleviates some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

To schedule a complimentary consultation call our Redwood City office at 650-595-0500 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.