Chiropractic Benefits for Fibromyalgia, Part 1

Chiropractic Benefits for Fibromyalgia, Part 1

How Can Chiropractic Benefit Someone with Fibromyalgia? A new study from Egypt reports chiropractic care is possibly an effective treatment strategy for fibromyalgia treatment care.1 The study involved 120 people between the ages of 40 and 65 who had suffered with severe fibromyalgia for four years or more. Each person rated their pain as a 4 or higher on a pain scale and also had limited movement in their cervical (neck area) spine, specifically in their C1-C2 area. All of the individuals participating in this study engaged in 12 weeks of therapy which included:

•  An education program (one two-hour session per week) designed to provide the participant with more information about fibromyalgia and care options;
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•  Cognitive behavioral therapy (one two-hour session per week) which involved discussion regarding pain management via relaxation exercises, challenging treatment-prohibitive beliefs about fibromyalgia, and positive reinforcement about what types of actions can be taken to ease fibromyalgia symptoms; and
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•  An exercise program (three one-hour sessions per week plus 20-minute session twice daily at home) which included relaxation techniques, as well as active and passive stretches.

One half of the individuals were randomly assigned to a chiropractic group, which meant they also received chiropractic adjustments three times per week for the first month. This was then reduced to once a week sessions for the remaining eight weeks.

At the beginning of the study, the conclusion the of the study, and at one year post-study, each participant was asked to complete various questionnaires to help the researchers determine what effect, if any, chiropractic care had on easing fibromyalgia symptoms and reducing its impact on their lifestyle. Specifically, questions were asked regarding physical function abilities, work days missed due to fibromyalgia symptoms, sleep disturbances, level of pain, fatigue, depression, and anxiety.

The individuals who participated in the chiropractic care group showed more improvement and better results than the control group who had no chiropractic intervention. This was validated by questionnaire scores that improved by 15 or more percent. The researchers concluded that adding chiropractic to your current fibromyalgia care plan may offer even more benefits when it comes to getting to the root of the problem.