Common fibromyalgia symptoms
The most common fibromyalgia symptoms is diffuse body pain, however, fibromyalgia can manifest differently in different people. In general, most patients that we see here at the Colorado Fibromyalgia Center report body sensitivities.
There are some fibromyalgia patients that have a lot of pain in their forearms and hands. This often leads to a lot of weaknesses in the various bones and muscles of the hand, and grip weakness such as pain when gripping objects and grip strength. Leg pain and foot pain is also common.
Overall, one of the most common fibromyalgia symptoms that we see is sensitivity to touch. Normal sensations such as cold, hot, wind, textures of clothing, holding one’s child, and hugging a loved one are perceived by the body as pain in fibromyalgia patients.
"Fibro fog"
Physical or mental stress may lead to “fibro fog” which many patients describe as feelings of forgetfulness or mental fuzziness. Depending on the patient this can mean forgetting certain things, where they were, where they are or they feel generally out of it mentally.
The biggest improvement that we see as far as fibro fog is a result of, depending on the patient, the medications that Dawn Moon prescribes. In addition to medication management, patients who utilize the Myers IV Therapy cocktail at the beginning of their treatment see vast improvements with fibro fog and increased recovery in the beginning of the fibromyalgia program. Many patients report increased pain and increased soreness after the first week of treatment, which is typical and goes away over time. After the initial few treatments, the potential pain and soreness from adjusting the body to manual therapies is reduced, but when patients try the Myers IV therapy it is very beneficial with the initial recovery process
Back pain
Back pain is also very common in fibromyalgia patients. This symptom usually presents itself as “trigger points” in the upper, lower, or mid back. These trigger points are essentially knots in the muscle, and can vary from patient to patient in their quantity and intensity.
When these trigger points are left untreated over a long period of time, the affected areas build up in toxins which present a variety of issues for overall health. The pain and stiffness that is associated with a trigger point worsens with increased time that it is left untreated. Relieving trigger points is a key factor in reducing migraines, headaches, shoulder pain, neck pain, and back pain.
Some of the methods that our providers use to treat this symptom at Colorado Fibromyalgia Center include:
- Dry Needling
- Trigger Point Injections
- Medical Massage
- Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization
- Cupping therapy
Reducing common symptoms with treatment
When new patients first begin the treatment program at Colorado Fibromyalgia Center, the new manual therapies that are received during the first phase of treatment may seem scary.
Dr. Dean Wright DC shares some of his thoughts about new patients entering the program, and how quickly many of them see success with manual therapies.
“Many fibromyalgia patients are very guarded in the beginning of the program, in terms of comfortability with different manual therapy techniques, but after their first few sessions with me in the fibromyalgia program, they become notably more comfortable with the different treatment techniques and the tenderness reduces significantly. The main goal in my phase of treatment is to get new fibromyalgia patients desensitized to manual therapies and touch. I have had patients come in where nobody in their family can touch them, and their grand kids are scared to hug them because they are afraid to cause pain. It is surprising how quickly these patients can get more normalized to touch and sensation, which not only tremendously helps improve their quality of life, but acts as a stepping stone for the rest of the program.”