You’re sore all over your body, and your joints and muscles are stiff. Maybe a grueling home improvement project is causing the pain, but if it persists for three months or longer, you may be experiencing symptoms of fibromyalgia. Thankfully, innovative treatment exists to soothe the pain, including ketamine therapy.
What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a widespread nervous system disorder and a kind of arthritis that causes pervasive pain and tenderness throughout the body in what’s referred to as trigger or tender points. The discomfort will come and go and move around your body. Most often, people experiencing this chronic illness are frequently tired and have trouble sleeping. Fibromyalgia happens more in women than men, usually in middle adulthood but sometimes in the teenage years and with aging.
What Are The Symptoms?
- Soreness and stiffness all over your body
- Fatigue and being tired
- Depression and nervousness
- Sleep troubles
- Problems with concentration, memory, and thinking
- Headaches and migraines
- Stinging or numbness your hands and feet
- Discomfort in your face or jaw, including something known as temporomandibular joint syndrome
- Gastrointestinal trouble, such as abdominal discomfort, bloating, constipation, and sometimes occurrences of irritable bowel syndrome
Many symptoms of fibromyalgia and arthritis can be relieved with ketamine treatment or other therapy.
Causes & Risk Factors
There are many potential causes for fibromyalgia:
- Because fibromyalgia stays in families, there could be certain genetic mutations that may increase the risk of susceptibility to developing the disorder.
- Some ailments seem to launch or aggravate fibromyalgia.
- A physical event will sometimes trigger fibromyalgia, such as a car crash. Protracted psychological trauma may also kickstart the condition.
And don’t forget possible risk factors like:
- Your gender. Fibromyalgia is seen more in females than in males.
- You could be more susceptible to getting fibromyalgia if a parent or sibling also experiences the condition.
- Other conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
Living With Fibromyalgia
It’s not easy living with fibromyalgia or arthritis in general. Some people with the condition have a lower tolerance for pain, often not realizing why, which can make it difficult to effectively diagnose it and create a patient-specific treatment plan to manage its symptoms.
If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you know all-too-well the discomfort if you bump your hand or affected region of the body on something unexpected. The pain can be shooting, electric, and a constant reminder you need to be more careful. Even lying down to sleep at night can be a challenge. So how do you live with fibromyalgia?
- Try ketamine therapy. Introduced as a pre-surgical anesthetic in the 1960s, ketamine gained widespread acclaim for treating wounded U.S. troops in Vietnam, before arriving stateside to much fanfare for its success. Researchers, doctors, and average citizens soon discovered its other therapeutic value, namely – the ability to reduce symptoms of mental illness and chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia.
- Don’t underestimate the power of relaxation and a good night’s sleep. Set a sleep schedule for yourself, try light exercise and meditation, and ask your doctor about certain dietary supplements.
- Reduce your stress levels whenever possible. This is easier said than done, but people with fibromyalgia understand the condition goes together with stress. Here’s what you can do: Try yoga, find a hobby, stay in touch with loved ones, and find a local support group.
- Try alternative or holistic pain management techniques, including acupuncture, massage therapy, tai chi, and flotation therapy.
Diagnosis
“There isn’t a test that definitively diagnoses fibromyalgia. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia is clinical, based on your symptoms and physical exam. Basic blood tests are recommended to exclude other causes of fatigue such as anemia or thyroid disease. The diagnosis relies on your family and medical history combined with your symptoms.”
Diagnosis depends on pain lasting for three months, plus tiredness and other symptoms like memory and concentration problems, poor sleep, depression, and bowel irregularities.
Treatment Options
Fibromyalgia can be successfully treated and controlled in many ways. The goal is to reduce symptoms and improve overall health. No treatment is a magic answer but trying many strategies can have a positive outcome.
The condition is often treated by healthcare professionals who specialize in fibromyalgia and other kinds of arthritis, known as rheumatologists. Doctors normally address fibromyalgia with multiple treatments, including ketamine therapy, store-bought medicine, certain antidepressants, exercise, stress management, and dietary and lifestyle changes.
Final Thoughts
Millions of people suffer from pain caused by fibromyalgia, arthritis, and other neurologic disorders. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Symptoms like soreness, sleep troubles, headaches, and bowel irregularities can be reduced with treatment. Contact us today to learn more about our innovative treatment options!
