Chiropractic Care for Fibromyalgia Relief

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome common to people living across the United States. Our understanding of fibromyalgia has changed much in recent years. Only recently has fibromyalgia become widely accepted as a diagnosable syndrome. The first step towards fibromyalgia recognition came in 1990 when the American College of Rheumatology published its diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. The criteria for diagnosis using the old guidelines included tenderness with pressure (tender points) in at least 11 of 18 speciﬁed sites and the presence of widespread pain. Current understanding of the functional impacts of fibromyalgia is much improved since it first became a disorder. Current research classifies fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) as a pain syndrome involving neurogenic pain and problems with central nervous system pain processing.

In a paper published by Wolfe et al. (2010) a new set of diagnostic criteria is set forth for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, one that makes diagnosing fibromyalgia more simple for both doctors and our patients, and has a higher sensitivity and specificity for successful diagnosis compared to the old criteria. Wolfe and his team use both a widespread pain index (WPI) and a more functional symptom severity (SS) scale to determine the criteria for fibromyalgia diagnosis. The WPI covers 19 regions of a patient's body, with pain in 7 or more of those regions within a single week described as "widespread pain" and increasing the chance of a fibromyalgia diagnosis. The SS scale includes symptoms like fatigue, cognitive symptoms, and sleep quality to determine fibromyalgia severity with a max score of 12. Wolfe describes a WPI score of 7 or above and a SS score of 5 or above as the criteria for fibromyalgia diagnosis. These new criteria for fibromyalgia diagnosis are more comprehensive and meaningful to a patient, as they include aspects of the real-life impacts that patients suffering from fibromyalgia commonly experience. Dr. Ross and his team here at Excellence in Health Chiropractic use up-to-date science and tools like the revised fibromyalgia criteria to make the right diagnosis for our patients, and to help choose the best treatment plan to improve pain and to optimize function in those suffering from fibromyalgia.

Treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome has evolved to become more comprehensive as our understanding of the condition gets better. Optimal treatment plans, such as those performed here at Excellence in Health Chiropractic, should include a combination of chiropractic adjustments, manual therapy, sleep therapy, nutritional management, exercise programs, and patient education to maximize positive outcomes. We are well equipped to implement a comprehensive treatment plan to help our patients with fibromyalgia, especially when it comes to the chiropractic manual therapy branch of treatment. Manual therapies offered at Excellence in Health include chiropractic adjustments, medical massage, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, rehab gym exercises as well as intermittent traction and flexion distraction.

A recent study completed by Castro-Sanchez et al. (2014) looked at the effects of manual therapy on a variety of fibromyalgia outcomes including pain and the impact of fibromyalgia on the physical health, mental health (including a focus on depressive symptoms), and sleep quality of individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia. One group of patients in the study received a treatment protocol including different manual therapy techniques and adjustments while the second group received no intervention. The outcomes from this study are exciting and support the use of manual chiropractic techniques in the treatment of fibromyalgia. At the 5-week follow-up the patients with fibromyalgia who received the manual therapy treatment approach showed significant improvements in the areas of pain intensity, widespread pressure pain sensitivity, sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and overall quality of life. This study provides encouragement and hope for individuals struggling with fibromyalgia and the negative impact that fibromyalgia has upon their life. If you have symptoms of fatigue, poor sleep quality, and wide-spread pain, don't hesitate to make an appointment with Dr. Ross at Excellence in Health Chiropractic today to have an evaluation. Take charge of your health and get back to living the life you deserve; and as always, we wish you excellence in health.

Resources:

Castro-Sanchez, AM. Aguilar-Ferrandiz, ME. Mataran-Penarrocha, GA. Sanchez-Joya, MDM. Arroyo-Morales, M. Fernandez-de-las-Penas, C. (2014). Short-term Effects of a Manual Therapy Protocol on Pain, Physical Function, Quality of Sleep, Depressive Symptoms, and Pressure Sensitivity in Women and Men with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Clinical Journal of Pain, 30(7): 589-597.
Wolfe, F. Clauw, DJ. Fitzcharles, MA. Goldenberg, DL. Katz, RS. Mease, P. Russell, J. Winfield, JB. Yunus, MB. (2010). The American College of Rheumatology Preliminary Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia and Measurement of Symptom Severity. Arthritis Care & Research, 62(5): 600-610.

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