It’s an unfortunate fact that Fibromyalgia doesn’t always get as much media attention as it deserves – leaving many of us feeling isolated in our pain. The good news is, things might be starting to change. This past Novemeber, The British Medical Journal published a Clinical Review of Fibromyalgia – validating the condition, the underlying causes as well as the tested therapies used to treat it.
The review had some incredibly interesting statistics, explaining that fibromyalgia could be present in 10% of the population. This figure is substantially more than the 2-4% that was previously estimated. While the article focuses mainly on more well established treatments, The Fibro Clinic is able to pick up where they leave off with the newest, most cutting edge treatments spanning from around the world.
Keep an eye out for future blog posts with the latest and best fibromyalgia treatment news!
When it comes to keeping your body strong and healthy, you’re encouraged to eat well, get adequate sleep, and, of course, exercise regularly. But this is a lot easier said than done when you’re experiencing ongoing pain.
Knee pain can be excruciating, making even the lightest workouts difficult. But what exactly is causing this pain? And are there ways to relieve it and get back to living actively without pain?
Technically called Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, a runner’s knee is when you have pain in front of, around, or behind your kneecap when performing any activity requiring you to bend your knee, including walking, getting up, squatting, running, etc. You might even notice increased pain when walking downstairs or downhill.
Other symptoms might include rubbing, grinding, or clicking when bending and straightening your knee and a tender kneecap.
Ultimately, no. If you’re experiencing knee pain after exercising, you need to rest it until the pain dissipates. If it returns during use again, then you’ve likely got a bigger problem that self-care and home remedies won’t resolve.
Don’t rush! You’ll know you’re ready to get back out there if:
You bend and straighten your knee without pain
Your knee is painless when walking, jogging, sprinting, jumping, etc.
There are plenty of ways to treat your knee pain after running:
Rest It. Don’t make your knee problem worse by using it before it’s ready. Give your knee a rest and avoid any activity that’ll strain it, including walking if you must.
Ice It. Fight back against the pain and swelling with 20-30 minute icing sessions every few hours for up to 3 days.
Wrap It. Give your knee some support with elastic bandaging, patellar straps, or sleeves.
Elevate It. Take some pressure off by elevating your leg with a pillow when sitting or lying down.
Take NSAIDs. If you need a little extra help for staving off high-level pain, the likes of ibuprofen or naproxen are options for temporary pain relief. But be careful as NSAIDs may have side effects as well as risks. Use as directed and always consult your doctor with any questions before use.
Stretch and Strengthen. Strengthen the muscles and ligaments supporting your knee such as the quadriceps. Consult your doctor for physical therapy if you are considering this option.
Arch Supports or Orthotics. These will help correct your foot positioning, which could very well cause knee pain.
How Do I Stop My Inner Knee from Hurting When I Run?
Some proactive measures you can take to prevent Runner’s Knee include:
If resting your knee and other methods aren’t enough to resolve your runner’s knee pain, you may have damaged cartilage or a displaced kneecap, which may require surgery.
Cortisone joint injections can temporarily alleviate knee pain as it recovers, but it’s important to consider more permanent options to live comfortably long term.
We know what it means to have Fibromyalgia. Throughout the years, our team at The Chronicillness.co team have talked and exchanged emails with over 12,000 patients, read countless articles, watched more DVDs than we could count, and attended numerous local, national, and international conferences.
When it comes to symptoms, the first thing patients say to us is normally along the lines of, “The pain is so bad, I’m so stiff I can hardly move and I can’t sleep well at all. My life is misery.” When we meet face to face, the look of despair is almost always there, despite trying to be brave facing a condition that many still pretend doesn’t exist.
Other symptoms mentioned are commonly anxiety, depression, post-exertional fatigue/malaise, problems with temperature control or cold intolerance, sensitivity to many stimuli including bright lights and noise, irritable bowel (often this presents itself as constipation or diarrhoea and bladder/urinary frequency problems), headaches, brain fog (many patients find this one of the most distressing symptoms), hypermobility (often causes weakness in muscles or joints leading to frequent injuries), alcohol and medicine intolerance, dizziness, restless leg syndrome, and occasionally Neurally Mediated Hypotension. Oftentimes they also have a family member with Fibromyalgia.
We have spoken to many patients who also suffer with ME/CFS and fatigue is their main problem, very often followed by pain, stiffness and sleep problems. No one really understands fatigue as a symptom on its own, however much is now known about the pain, stiffness and sleep problems of FM and CFS/me.
Although it’s not a symptom, but more a result of these symptoms – most patients mention an overall feeling of despair. Many struggle in their personal relationships and regret having to miss out on time or activities with family. Often they’ve had to put careers on hold or have stopped working completely – leading to a breakdown in hopes, dreams and aspirations.
Here at The Chronicillness.co team, we urge you to remember that you are not alone. Fortunately there are ways to better your overall condition and total health. Our hope is that those who stumble across this page may find solace in the fact that there are indeed people out there just waiting to help you – and we hope to hear from you soon.
Suffering from a chronic condition such as diabetes can be debilitating, and the treatment can be expensive, stressful, and time-consuming. It can become an even bigger issue when a separate chronic condition arises, such as diabetic neuropathy.
Pain management for diabetic neuropathy has become a focus of pain specialists as more and more patients experience this painful and exhausting side effect of diabetes. Effectively treating it can improve your overall quality of life and daily level of function.
Diabetic neuropathy is nerve damage that develops through type 1 and 2 diabetes. Your nerves are bundles of tissue that carry signals between your brain and other parts of the body to control limb and organ functions.
Diabetic neuropathy often affects the legs and feet, and while some cases are mild, many of them are painful, debilitating, and can even be fatal in certain circumstances. The chance of getting any case of diabetic neuropathy increases the older you are and the longer you have diabetes, meaning that treating it sooner can save you a great deal of pain – or even your life.
Over time, high blood glucose levels (aka blood sugar) and fat levels in the blood from diabetes can damage your nerves. Additionally, there can be damage to the small blood vessels that nourish your nerves with oxygen and nutrients caused by these elevated levels.
Each person’s target blood sugar level for diabetes maintenance differs, making it tough to assign an exact number. However, this makes it even more important to communicate with your pain clinician or primary doctor about how best to manage these levels.
Additional Causes of Diabetic Neuropathy
Research suggests there’s a potential hereditary link to diabetic neuropathy. However, even within these studies, the most prevalent conditions present in patients with diabetic neuropathy include:
If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic and believe you are suffering from any of these conditions, we recommend talking to your doctor or a pain specialist about prevention steps for diabetic neuropathy.
Diabetic neuropathy is painful due to several metabolic and vascular factors that affect different parts of the body. These include increased sorbitol, fructose, glycol end products, and reactive oxygen species in the blood.
Day-to-day indication of diabetic neuropathy includes excruciating burning and stabbing sensations that are both unpredictable and persistent when they do occur. These are not easily treated by any over-the-counter drug, making prevention and pain management all the more important to discuss with your doctor.
Why is Diabetic Neuropathy Worse at Night?
The symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can flare up for several reasons, including:
CoolerTemperatures: Neuropathy in your feet is often more prone to cool air. As the temperature drops, your pain and numbness might increase.
Stress: The end of a long day can bring a buildup of physical stress and mental exertion. This might cause your body to be taxed and your neuropathy to react violently.
Fewer Distractions: We often push through pain in our daily life because we need to work, care for our family, or attend to daily tasks. As we lie still and try to drift off, the accrued pain and flare-ups of the day may be harder to ignore.
These factors may all increase at night, but your symptoms may vary and worsen at any time. Contact your doctor immediately if you are experiencing persistent pain or numbness in concurrence with diabetes.
Neuropathies progress slowly in general, and diabetic neuropathy is no exception. Diabetes is often referred to as “The Silent Killer,” and diabetic neuropathy is no exception.
For many, the underlying conditions contributing to diabetes also exacerbate diabetic neuropathy: poor diet, weight fluctuation, and other lifestyle choices that allow for glycemic fluctuation.
In order to provide patients with the best possible treatment in our holistic approach at our Multi-disciplinary Clinic we try to consider everything available and as part of that we’ve looked at many non-drug therapies over the years. Many of these treatments or therapies are for reducing the Sympathetic Nervous System over stimulation (or the heightened fight or flight reaction most readers will have heard of) of Fibromyalgia have been studied and now part of our scientific treatment.
One therapy that’s getting a lot of attention lately and is thought to reduce the Sympathetic Nervous System over stimulation and has shown improvements in Fibro symptoms is Mindfulness. Kim Jones, PhD recently completed a clinical study on Fibromyalgia and Mindfulness and it was the cover article in the USA Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Life Winter Magazine 2014 issue, where they state “These results indicate that practicing mindfulness techniques may be a low-cost, side effect free option for people wishing to reduce the severity of their fibromyalgia.”
Basically practicing mindfulness techniques starts with the concept of living in the moment and not looking back into the past or forward into the future. Try to keep your mind in the present moment of whatever you’re doing, so if you’re ironing, doing paperwork or walking, just focus on those things in your mind and don’t think about other things. My best Mindfulness moments are when I walk my dogs, no matter how stressed I am at the beginning of the walk I come back….calm.
Another good principal is to stop multi-tasking. You really can’t be calm if your mind is racing, trying to do several things at one. Try to just do the one thing and do it well, then move on to the next thing that needs doing and just focus on that one thing.
Finally, meditation and deep breathing are also essential to obtaining Mindfulnesses possible stress reducing effects, which should then hopefully reduce the Sympathetic Nervous System over stimulation and possibly help reduce your Fibrosymptoms. The body can’t heal if it feels it’s under threat, so being calm and rested are thought to be essential to one’s recovery.
There are many sources of Mindfulness online and most CBT (Cognitive Behaviour) Therapists will be familiar with it and be able to offer advice. So relax and don’t stress if you don’t get Mindfulness at first – as that defeats the entire purpose!
Last month, we wrote on the topic of headaches and dehydration, especially during the hot summer months. But with the monsoon season in full swing, the changes in weather also bring what some have dubbed as “migraine season.” As the summer storms roll in, our pain specialists see an increase in appointments and complaints from weather-related chronic pain symptoms, including migraines.
While we spend a lot of time and focus on dehydration and staying cool during the summer months, this is also the time of year that we like to discuss how changes in barometric pressure can affect chronic pain, namely migraines. Barometric pressure, another term for atmospheric pressure, is the force put on our bodies by the air around us. With the monsoon storms come a sharp drop in barometric pressure and an increase in humidity. While many studies have been conducted to prove or disprove, the connection between migraines and barometric pressure, there has been little scientific evidence to go either way. However, if you suffer from migraines you know that the weather plays a huge role in how you’re feeling that day.
Any United States pain doctor will tell you how important it is to keep stress levels low and reduce anxiety to control pain. However, during the monsoon season, when atmospheric pressure plays a role in pain management, anxiety regarding the weather patterns can be difficult to control. It’s a vicious cycle; increased pressure in the atmosphere due to oncoming storms leads to increased pain, which leads to increased anxiety, which only makes matters worse. Before you know it, your body is trained to feel increased pain at the very thought of a summer monsoon.
There’s not much you can do to stop the barometric pressure from falling, and whether you’re indoors or outdoors this change in air pressure will follow you. When you know a storm is coming, do your best to reduce stress by creating distractions. Perhaps go to a movie where you’ll be indoors through the worst of the storm. Or, as many of our patients do, draw up a warm Epsom salt bath, grab a good book and a cup of herbal tea, and relax as the storm blows by.
At the 2014 American Pain Society Meeting, a hot topic of conversation focused around the emotional and physical repercussions following a car accident.
Because persistent pain and disability often occur after whiplash or other musculoskeletal injuries, it is of interest to understand to what extent poor expectations of recovery influence overall outcomes.
A 2007 study published in the Journal of Rheumatology concluded that poor expectations of recovery can be a powerful predictor of adverse outcomes. To expand on these findings, a team from the University of North Carolina has now conducted research to further analyse recovery outcomes following accidents.
In the study, it was found that physical recovery expectations were lowest in the hours just following the accident due to high stress levels and emotion. This acute psychological distress was most strongly associated with poorer expected recovery.
Additionally, a large factor in expected recovery period was the overall mentality of the patients prior to the accident. Patients who had reported good physical health and traits of optimism before the accident in turn had shorter estimated recovery time.
In contrast, those who had a slightly more negative outlook, perhaps having previously suffered pain, felt that the other driver was at fault, or suffered from depressive symptoms, had a longer expected recovery.
In short, acute pain in addition to preexisting psychological symptoms were found to be directly correlated with physical and emotional recovery following a traumatic accident.
Headaches are often thought of occurring as a sign of a larger problem, and in most cases, this is true. Headaches frequently accompany colds, flu, chronic pain, and even food poisoning. However, sometimes headaches occur seemingly at random, but there may actually be a reason – dehydration.
Believe it or not, dehydration can cause headaches. Dehydration occurs when we lose more fluids than we put in, and the body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. Dehydration can occur in any age group, and there are several causes. Diarrhea and vomiting can lead to dehydration, as can increase urination. However, in the hot summer months, the main cause of dehydration is not drinking enough water or fluids to replace the water lost when you sweat. If you do vigorous activity – or are simply enjoying our hot summer climate – and don’t replace fluids as you go, you can become dehydrated.
A variety of unpleasant symptoms occur when this happens, including headaches. Dehydration headaches may cause pain at the front, back, or on just one side of the head, or the pain may be felt throughout the entire head. Bending the head down or moving it from side to side often worsens the headache. Even simply walking can cause more head pain.
The initial symptoms of dehydration include thirst and minor discomfort, but can also include the following prior to, or during a dehydration headache:
A decrease in urine output, and urine that is dark or amber in color, is also a sign of dehydration. Severe dehydration can lead to low blood pressure, swelling of the tongue, unconsciousness, and even death in the most extreme cases. Seek medical attention right away if you experience extreme thirst, feel unusually tired (lethargic) or confused, have not passed urine for eight hours, have a rapid heartbeat, or experience dizziness when you stand up that doesn’t go away after a few seconds.
The key to avoiding a dehydration headache is by staying hydrated. Most people need 4 to 6 cups of water per day, though some may need to drink more or less. During exercise or exposure to hot weather, you will need to drink more fluids to replace the water lost through sweat.
You can also help maintain an adequate fluid intake by eating foods that are naturally high in water content, such as vegetables and fruits.
It’s important to note that not all fluids are equal when it comes to fluid replacement. Coffee and alcohol are bad choices since both acts as diuretics. These types of beverages promote urination and fluid loss and can cause or exacerbate dehydration and headaches. If someone is chronically dehydrated, they may not always feel thirsty before becoming dehydrated. That’s why it’s important to listen to the body in other ways and look for dry skin, dark urine, dry eyes, and other signs.
If you experience a dehydration headache, increase your fluid intake, replace lost electrolytes with a sports drink, decrease your physical activity and avoid heat to reduce sweating. While 16 to 32 ounces of water or fluids should do the trick, drinking too much too quickly can lead to a sluggish, bloated feeling, so it is best to gradually consume water every 10 minutes or so. For severe dehydration, you may need to slowly lie down and drink more fluids. In extreme cases, intravenous (IV) rehydration may be necessary.
Drinking enough water does more than just prevent dehydration headaches – it can also prevent migraines. While we do not know exactly what causes a migraine, we do know that dehydration is a known trigger for migraine headaches. One study even showed that when the study participants drank more water each day, they had fewer symptoms and less severe migraines overall.
Our doctors spend a lot of time asking us questions like ‘what are your symptoms?’ and ‘how’s your sleep?’ So why is it that no one seems to ask us how fibromyalgia is affecting our relationships? Our spouses, our children, our friends and our colleagues – all of them are affected when it comes to fibromyalgia, but to what extent?
The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association recently posted a survey asking about fibromyalgia symptoms and the impact that fibromyalgia had on relationships with partners/spouses, children, and friends. The survey was completed by over 6000 people with fibromyalgia, making it one of the largest fibromyalgia surveys. The results were published in the medical journal Musculoskeletal Care.
Out of those who participated, 96% were women and most were between 45 and 64 years old. The results were as follows:
Over one in four people reported that their spouse/partner did not understand their fibromyalgia, and half of people said fibromyalgia had damaged a current or previous relationship with a spouse or partner. 10% said fibromyalgia contributed to a break-up of a relationship.
Over 70% of people surveyed said they had children who were old enough to understand their FM. One in three said their children resented when they couldn’t participate in activities with them, and one in four said their children thought they exaggerated their pain.
In general, those surveyed explained that fibromyalgia had less of a negative impact on friendships than with spouses/ partners or children. That being said, many people felt that having fibromyalgia resulted in eventually losing friends, as many stopped calling or extending invitations.
Here at The Chronicillness.co team, we don’t want your relationships to suffer on account of your fibromyalgia. We are constantly taking new research and information into consideration when finding the correct treatment path for our patients, and strongly believe a multidisciplinary approach to treatment can help manage symptoms for a better quality of life.
If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you may find it difficult to continue working because of the potentially debilitating symptoms, and this can cause financial difficulties. If you are currently paying into a pension, you can only access the money from age 55. However, you may be eligible to claim an ill-health early retirement pension before then, and this will allow you to continue to receive an income.
What is an ill-health early retirement claim, and can you claim it for fibromyalgia?
If you are unfit or unable to work due to fibromyalgia, you can claim an ill-health retirement claim, otherwise known as being ‘medically retired. This allows you to receive your pension benefits before the age of 55 if you are unable to work due to a permanent illness or condition. You can also make a claim if your fibromyalgia dramatically reduces how much you could potentially be able to earn.
Everyone experiences fibromyalgia differently. Some people are able to continue working and complete tasks normally, occasionally suffering from flare-ups’. However, for some, the condition can be debilitating, making it extremely difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to continue working. Symptoms can be so severe that it causes difficulty in completing even day-to-day tasks and commonly include widespread pain and tenderness, headaches, fatigue, cognitive problems, and extreme sensitivity. There is currently no cure, but medications and other techniques are used to manage the pain.
Symptoms of fibromyalgia, such as extreme tiredness, problems with mental processes such as memory and concentration, muscle stiffness, and widespread pain can cause difficulties working long hours, especially in jobs that require physical work. Too much physical and mental stress on the body can cause severe flare-ups and even exacerbate the condition. It is important to avoid working at a job that can have a negative effect on your health.
Before making a claim, you may want to request that your employer makes adjustments to your workplace to enable you to continue working to the best of your ability. As long as they are considered reasonable adjustments, you have the right to make these requests to prevent you from being disadvantaged at work. This can allow you to continue working for longer and enable you to earn an income that may be beneficial to your mental health. These changes may include your employer offering you flexible working hours, additional rest breaks, and task rotation to combat the common symptoms of fatigue. They may also reduce the number of physical tasks required of you, shorten your hours or allow you to work from home. Furthermore, they may amend and change your work duties if your doctor believes that they might exacerbate your fibromyalgia.
In order to make an ill-health early retirement pension claim, there are certain criteria you need to prove. You need to demonstrate that you are permanently incapable of returning to work and that there are no other medications or treatments that can be explored to allow you to return to your job before the normal pension age. You will also need to show that you cannot work at a similar alternative job.
If you make a claim, the first step is to complete the ill-health early retirement pension application. You can receive this from your pension scheme. You will need medical proof which you should receive from a consultation with a rheumatologist who fully understands fibromyalgia. They will give an expert opinion on whether they believe you are able to work or permanently unfit to carry out the duties required of you at work. Your employer will then be required to confirm that ill health is the only reason you are making this claim and retiring.
With a report from a professional, you have very reasonable prospects of being able to claim an ill-health early retirement pension. However, there is a possibility that your claim may not be successful, but it is possible to submit an appeal and potentially receive an ill-health pension with new medical evidence.
