Fibromyalgia Treatment in Santa Clara
Are you looking for non-invasive alternative treatments for managing your fibromyalgia symptoms? Our fibromyalgia doctor offers chiropractic treatments to help manage chronic pain, tender points, exhaustion, and headaches. You may even notice improvements in your mood and mental clarity.
What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that is characterized by fatigue or exhaustion, chronic pain or tender points, trouble sleeping, and mental fog. It is believed that the condition amplifies the pain signals sent to the brain. There is no cure for the condition. However, the symptoms can be managed so that the individual can lead as normal a life as possible.
How Does Someone Get Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia does not have a single cause and scientists are still researching the condition to develop a better understanding of the ailment and better treatment options. The condition most often develops after a traumatic illness or injury. However, it can also be caused by continued high levels of stress. Some individuals may notice increasing symptoms over a long period of time. Others may develop symptoms suddenly. Fibromyalgia also tends to occur in families with a history of the condition. For this reason, genetics may play a part in its development.
Common Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
Symptoms of the condition most often occur in women, but it can occur in both sexes. Fibromyalgia symptoms can also co-occur with other conditions, include IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome, TMJ, anxiety, and depression. Common symptoms include:
- Chronic Pain
- Exhaustion or Chronic Fatigue
- Depression and/or Anxiety
- Difficulty Focusing
- Mental Fog
- Trouble Sleeping or Insomnia
Diagnosing Fibromyalgia
Diagnosing fibromyalgia involves undergoing a physical exam. If you’ve researched fibromyalgia in the past, you may have come across an 18 point exam. The guidelines have since been updated and simplified to five areas of the body. To be diagnosed with fibromyalgia, four or those five areas must be painful.
- Upper Left – includes the left arm, shoulder, and side of the jaw
- Upper Right – includes the left arm, shoulder, and left side of the jaw
- Lower Left – includes the left leg, hip, and buttock
- Lower Right – includes the right leg, hip, and buttock
- Core or Axial – includes the stomach, chest, back, and neck
Fibromyalgia Treatment in Santa Clara
Chiropractic fibromyalgia treatment can be used in conjunction with the treatments you are already receiving from your family doctor. Chiropractic treatment always starts with a physical examination and medical history. From there, our chiropractor may recommend several treatment options, including manual chiropractic adjustments and KST chiropractic. The reason these treatments are often suggested for fibromyalgia is because the condition is believed to be caused by miscommunication in the central nervous system, and adjustments can help reduce joint soreness, maximize the range of motion of the joints and optimize the function of the central nervous system.
Manual Chiropractic Adjustments
Many times, correcting misalignments of the joints, which are called subluxations, is performed via a manual chiropractic adjustment. They are called manual adjustments because our chiropractor uses his hands, forearms, and sometimes elbows to push the joint back into its proper location. During these sessions, our fibromyalgia doctor looks at the way your body is aligned and corrects any misalignments with short thrusts to the joints. This can help maximize the range of motion of the joint and reduce inflammation, which helps control pain.
KST Adjustments
KST adjustments are another type of chiropractic adjustment. It differs from manual adjustments because there is a three-step process to the treatment, which includes challenging, checking, and correcting. During this treatment, areas of the body are challenged in order to look for imbalances in the musculoskeletal system. For example, if one leg is longer than the other, there is an imbalance in the leg length.
If imbalances are found, like a dependency in leg length, the joints that connect to the leg will be tested for misalignments. In this example, the joints checked could be the hips, SI joint, or lower back. If there are misalignments in any of the checked areas, an adjustment is performed using a hand-held adjusting device. This treatment helps with back, neck, and leg pain as well as headaches.
Get the Best Fibromyalgia Doctor in Santa Clara
To learn more about how our chiropractor can help you with fibromyalgia treatment in Santa Clara, give us a call at 408-985-8118. We’d be happy to talk to you about chiropractic care for your fibromyalgia.
