Chronic, annoying, and debilitating pain, pop and locking joints, and major exhaustion make up the main symptoms of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia or fibro for short is an autoimmune disease that affects all of the muscles and joints in the body. So, basically people that have this particular disease is in pain all the time, and every person that has this disease will feel different. Each individual person that has this disease is effected differently. One person could have chronic headaches, another could have pain in the back and legs, and others could have water retention in the arms and legs. For example, I have Fibro (and yes it sucks), but I get a lot of pain in my back and neck. I also have pinched nerves in my back that causes sciatica. Sciatica is where the sciatic nerve gets pinched in and around the SI Joint and or the piriformis muscle (the piriformis muscle that is right in the dead center of the butt or glute, whatever you want to call it). Am I in pain every day, yes I am! Do I wish I didn't have this disease, of course I do! But, I can't change that I have this, so I have learned to live with it. Here are 5 ways to deal with Fibromyalgia Pain.
1, Prescription Drugs
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Even though I am not the biggest fan of taking medication, but sometimes they are necessary. So, I would recommend before taking all the drugs; go see your doctor and discuss what your options are. I personally take Cymbalta which has decreased my pain a good 50-60%. Is it perfect? No, absolutely not. I also don't recommend everyone with fibro to take cymbalta (or anyone with out fibro). This is a prescription drug, I get it from a pharmacy, so please anyone reading this; be smart and go have a chat with your doctor.
2. YOGA! Get your stretch on!
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What has really helped my muscles stay toned and more relaxed then they would normally be is yoga (granted I am a yoga instructor). But, because of the fun of the Fibro (I say fun in the most sarcastic way as possible) I can't (or shouldn't) do a normal workout. It could take with me up to a week to recover! So, yoga is my go to form of exercise because it's low impact on my muscles and my recovery time is only about a day! Also, it is awesome to help unlock joints and to relax unhappy muscles.
3. Saunas, let the heat relax you!.
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Heat is amazing! Heat can unlock your muscles (due to making them more pliable) and can de stress your mind (the less stressed you are the better you tend to feel). It's just an overall calming sensation and can mentally and physically help the body!
4. Massage
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Massage helps work out the knots in the muscles of the body, can help with locking joints, AND can even help with water retention in the body, it can also mentally help you relax. Also, massages are awesome! So, go to a LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST, schedule a massage, and thank me later! No, your massage will not include a happy ending, but hopefully you will get some OTHER form of relief!
5. The hardest one....RELAX AND CALM DOWN!
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This is the hardest one (so I obviously made it the last one), try to stay as stress free as possible. Which, obviously easier said then done. With Fibromyalgia, the more stressed out you become the more intense the symptoms start to feel. So, just try to chill out and be as stress free as possible!
