Our Services / Fibromyalgia

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal condition that amplifies pain sensations. It could result because of how your spinal cord and brain process pain signals, but the cause isn’t entirely clear. There’s no cure for the condition, but Dr. Kumar offers treatments that relieve the discomfort, allowing you to stay active and enjoy your favorite activities. 

What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia?

Common symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

• Fatigue
• Widespread pain
• Constant dull aching
• Pain on both sides of your body
• Pain above and below your waist
• Sleep disorders
• Impaired ability to focus
• Difficulty paying attention

If you have fibromyalgia, you could also experience migraines, headaches, painful bladder syndrome, or irritable bowel syndrome, as well as anxiety, depression, or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.

What are the risk factors for fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia can happen to anyone, but some factors appear to increase your risk of experiencing it. Examples include:

• Genetics
• Emotional trauma
• Physical trauma
• Prolonged stress
• Infections
• Being a woman
• Arthritis
• Lupus

Adopting healthy habits could reduce your risk of developing fibromyalgia pain, but there’s no way to prevent it entirely since the cause isn’t completely clear.

How does my doctor diagnose fibromyalgia?

Dr. Kumar discusses your symptoms, check your vital signs, and complete a physical exam to diagnose fibromyalgia. He might recommend blood tests, imaging procedures, or a sleep study to detect or rule out other problems.

What are common treatments for fibromyalgia?

To relieve pain caused by fibromyalgia, Dr. Kumar could suggest:

Lifestyle changes
Properly manage stress, get plenty of sleep and regular exercise, and eat nutritious foods. Maintain a healthy body weight, don’t smoke, and limit your caffeine intake to reduce fibromyalgia discomfort. 

Physical therapy
Physical therapy stretches and exercises and massage therapy can improve musculoskeletal functioning and reduce fibromyalgia pain.

Occupational therapy
An occupational therapist can help you change your workspace or daily tasks to put less stress on your body.

Medications
Taking medications can reduce discomfort and complications associated with fibromyalgia, such as depression and anxiety. 

Counseling
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches you ways to better cope with your condition and relieve fibromyalgia pain naturally.

Call the Spine & Pain Specialists of the Carolinas office or schedule an appointment online today to get treated for fibromyalgia discomfort.