Just wondering if anyone has been to a chiropractor for their Fibromyalgia pain and whether it was effective?
I’ve been in a bad neck pain flare for 2+ months now. I’ve always been “scared” of chiropractors after seeing videos of peoples necks being cracked but I’m warming up to the idea after researching online..
Would love to hear others experiences. Thanks.
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Lw_2020
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Couldn't survive without my visits to my chiropractor. You really need to make sure they understand fibro. My chiropractor is brilliant and will gradually increase pressure during the massage bit and knows some days I can tolerate more than others. I always come out of the surgery feeling on cloud 9 and my mobility is better. It may take several visits as muscle memory will try and revert to the old position so frequent visits are required to begin with then they can reduce. I would love to afford more visits but unfortunately I can't so make do with every couple of months now.
The fact that I also get half an hour of "me time" is great too
One of my best friends my chiropractor, regular sessions for ten years, then I smashed my chest, a seizure off a exercise bike, unfortunately my ribs never really healed properly, so no more, but if I thought it might help with my suspected fibro., you would not see me for dust!🤔 interesting, must have a word with him? They have such a bad name for themselves, he I do highly recommend👍
Haven't tried a chiropractor for my neck/shoulder/back injury but I have just seen an Osteopath, learnt a few things about myself but it didn't help really. I'm now seeing a physio, but a private one because ive been to NHS ones enough times to know what they'll say and I know they won't help. It's expensive but it is already going a lot better than before. I'm desperate to get back to the gym so fingers crossed.
Yes the NHS kept giving me back/core strengthening exercises like planks, bridges etc. When lockdown shut me out of the classes I normally do at the gym I diligently followed all these exercises everyday but after 3 months I was no stronger when I went back to gym after the opening up I ended up hurting my back, so I started swimming instead which then I think injured my neck🙄 its a recurring injury I have, I do a lot of martial arts style stuff so a lot of kicking. This physio is the first one to spot that I have poor mobility of a certain section of my spine, he said that why the exercises I was given wont help because my lack of mobility meant I was never able to actually work that area, the weak and stiff area. I can't tell you how many times over the years I've seen NHS physios and they haven't identified that. So I'm hopeful, NHS physios put me off physios in general but I was feeling desperate, very expensive though! You'll have to let us know whether you go to a Chiropractor and whether it helps, I always been vague about the difference between a Chiropractor and an Osteopath!
I only get to see my Fibro specialist twice a year, I think my next appointment is November or December. Will ask them if I haven’t decided to try it by then!My GP will definitely have no idea about anything Fibro related sadly so no point asking them.
Over many years and living in various parts of UK I have seen 6 different chiropractors and they all have had different techniques, so try different ones if your not happy with the first one you try. They are great to free up any locked up parts of your spine and neck but expect your body to react badly to begin with. Give yourself time to recover and get used to being in the 'correct' position which may feel wrong if you've been in the wrong position for a long time.
A good chiropractor will help you stabilise your body with exercises so you don't need to see them too regularly. Also advise them that you have fibro so they need to be gentler and maybe only make one adjustment on your first visit. Some also do acupuncture, deep muscle massage and/or fascia release as part of the treatment. Shop around.
I'm lucky - I work for a university that has links to a school for chiropractors which means I get a discount plus they run sessions on campus for chiropractic students as they learn. So I've been able to go for years.
You get a dedicated student so usually always see the same person. Each session has almost always identified different issues as is want with Fibromyalgia. I become much more supple as a result of their ministrations. They really are fantastic and if the student has any issues, the tutors are all in a nearby room. When I first went and identified my different issues they were really interested in my Fibro because at that point I think it was nowhere near as common as now.
I think the students are either in Year 4 or 5 of their course (the qualification offered to them is a combination of a first degree and a masters), so they've been studying for a substantial amount of time already - they're not new students. Fibromyalgia is recognised seriously as a condition so they're well up in knowledge of issues they need to be aware of.
The first session is an assessment where they look at your issues - mine took 2 hours. After that you receive treatment which is more typically about half an hour. The only trouble I've found is that as my Fibro travels to different parts of my body, there doesn't seem to be an end to treatment. But that's not the student's fault - just a part of having Fibro. What an arse of a condition!!
I would say it would depend on the state of your pain. I used to see a McTimoney Chiroprator; that is the gentlest version I can find., but the first time you go, you will need to rest afterwards and drink plenty of water, because you will probably feel rough.
Hi I’ve been to a chiropractor which worked for my back pain, I wouldn’t advise it for neck problems, as I stopped going after I had more pain after, turns out I have arthritis in my spine, now have a monthly Indian head massage which is way more relaxing and beneficial, also take tramadol and anti inflammatory naproxen, in the end what suits you best, this is just my experience best wishes
I've preferred to trust a very gentle osteopath and now an acupressurist, one of my mainstays for progress with my single pains and also a few general things using meridians etc. like hot-cold, breathlessness & leg strength. (Whilst acupuncture harmed me.)
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