What does physical therapy have to do with fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a challenging condition to treat because it has no clear cause. Different triggers can cause pain in different parts of the body or throughout the entire body. Drugs and medication can help reduce fibromyalgia pain, but they don’t attempt to treat the cause and they often come with negative side effects. If you have fibromyalgia, instead of managing pain with drugs and medication, you should use physical therapy.

Physical therapists are licensed health care professionals who specialize in treatments for the parts of the body fibromyalgia affects. The goal of most physical therapy treatments for fibromyalgia is to teach you how to manage the pain and reduce certain triggers. However, each treatment is personalized to the needs of the individual, so the goals of your treatment may look different.

Physical therapy treatments for fibromyalgia

Besides pain, some of the symptoms of fibromyalgia include limited range of motion, weakness and fatigue. Physical therapists have different techniques for addressing each of these symptoms, including:

• Exercise — Different exercises can help reduce pain caused by fibromyalgia. Some gentle aerobic exercises can reduce pain without putting pressure on the joints. Other exercises may aim to improve the strength and flexibility of the muscles. This can reduce pressure off the nerves and joints, which could be a trigger for fibromyalgia pain.

• Manual therapy — Physical therapists can move and manipulate the joints and soft tissue to reduce pain and improve range of motion. There are different forms of manual therapy that a physical therapist may use, such as joint mobilization and strain-counterstrain.

• Massage — A deep tissue massage can reduce tension deep in the muscles and soft tissue. This can help prevent muscle spasms and reduce pain related to stiff muscles.

Visit SSOR for fibromyalgia treatment

Fibromyalgia affects everyone differently, but our physical therapists at SSOR are ready to help. Our team is trained and experienced in a variety of treatments for fibromyalgia. Contact us today to learn more about physical therapy for fibromyalgia or to schedule an appointment.