The Pain from Fibromyalgia and Exercise

Anybody who lives with fibromyalgia is well aware of the debilitating chronic pain that derives from the 18 trigger points on the body; a few of these points can be more painful than others, nevertheless they are all generate moderate to acute pain.

It is extremely difficult to start each day with stiffness in your muscles and your joints. As time passes, trigger point pain increases with stress and tension, lack of restorative sleep, depression and intense chronic fatigue.

Oftentimes fibromyalgia patients are shocked when their doctor prescribes the one thing that appears entirely irrational: Physical Exercise. "I hurt all over my body and you want me to do WHAT?" the patient may exclaim. Even so, it is undeniable that fibromyalgia and exercise are completely compatible, if not crucial.

How can Exercise Help Fibromyalgia?

Once we study the facts, the concept of fibromyalgia and exercise really makes common sense. As a matter of fact, without suitable physical exercise, fibromyalgia symptoms can worsen substantially, leading to a vicious cycle of pain.

Experiencing relief from fibromyalgia is a multi-layered approach consisting of drugs, behavior therapy such as amending certain dietary patterns, and good, low-impact exercise and stretching of the muscles, joints and connective tissues. Mild aerobic exercise can substantially improve fibromyalgia pain symptoms.

The painful symptoms of fibromyalgia makes the patient much less likely to move and stretch already painful areas of the body. Therefore, they can become sedentary, which simply increases muscle stiffness and pain upon movement. It seem impossible that physical exercise is the one thing that can alleviate these stiff, tender trigger points, all the same those suffering from fibromyalgia need these suitable and healing types of exercise. Obviously, intense and high-impact aerobic exercise is contraindicated for acutely painful trigger points.

Doctors who treat fibromyalgia frequently send their patients to a physiotherapist that specializes in blending effective exercises and fibromyalgia treatments. This kind of beneficial exercise can include swimming, slow walking on a treadmill, stretching and yoga-like movements.

These exercises for fibromyalgia don't concentrate on muscle building or strength; instead, these exercises are designed to increase movement of affected joints and muscles, thereby relieving trigger point pain and stiffness. At first, the patient might reject the opinion of exercise as a way of alleviating fibromyalgia symptoms since it is painful to move those sensitive points. Beginning really easy with modest stretching and swimming are the most frequently prescribed exercises for fibromyalgia relief.

The goal of exercise for fibromyalgia patients isn't to run the four-minute mile; no, infact, without a day-to-day program of simple gentle stretching and isometric-type exercises, the pain from trigger points will only increase the severity of symptoms.