This syndrome has many forms but almost all of my patients with fibromyalgia have these things in common:
1. Widespread pain for more than three months. 2. Tender to severely painful areas on their body that move from place to place with no good reason (overactivity, ect.) 3. Fatigue--usually debilitating. 4. Headache, irritable bowels, shoulder and neck pain or some combination of these.
Many of my fibro patients are hypothyroid and have not been tested recently. Statistics show that 90% of fibromyalgia syndrome sufferers have a thyroid disorder, so I always recommend blood testing. At this time I'm seeing many fibro sufferers who also are being treated by an M.D. I will gladly work with your physician in any way that will help you feel better and be more productive. If you've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome and want to do more to help yourself in a natural way, or if you fit the profile of having fibromyalgia and would like an evaluation and/or treatment, call my office. I treat the problem with nutritional advice, massage therapy and gentle chiropractic manipulation.
Sciatica
Characterized by a deep dull ache in the buttock that travels down the back or side of one leg, this problem is one that chiropractic helps better than any other means. Most patients with sciatic neuritis are their worst shape in the morning. This is because the muscles over-lyng the sciatic nerve have become stiff while they are resting. In fact, moving around warms the muscles and relaxes them somewhat, so most sufferers feel best when moving, even exercising. However, the main problem is usually a mechanical one--a misalignment of the pelvis. This misalignment makes the muscles overwork in the low back and buttocks, making them tired and sore after activity and stiff after resting. The stiffness causes pinching of the sciatic nerve and the cycle repeats. Adjusting the pelvis is the best way to relieve sciatia. It usually takes 2 to 3 weeks of intensive treatment to get it under control. Massage therapy helps greatly--and both types of treatment work best when done together.
