February Newsletter: Chiropractic Care for Fibromyalgia

Spinal Decompression from Our Chiropractor near You in Winter Park, FL

If you have back or neck pain, the conditions can reduce your range of motion and prevent you from participating in your favorite activities. At Lions Chiropractic & Injury in Winter Park, FL, we offer various treatments, including spinal decompression, to reduce your discomfort and improve your overall health. Before you schedule your appointment, keep reading to learn more about this treatment!

How Spinal Decompression Works

This therapy involves the use of a specialized decompression table that applies controlled traction to the spine. The gentle stretching reduces pressure on spinal discs, allowing bulging or herniated discs to retract. This process also increases blood flow and nutrient exchange, which supports the body’s natural healing response.

Conditions That Benefit from Spinal Decompression

Spinal decompression is commonly used to treat a variety of conditions affecting the back and neck. Many patients find relief from chronic pain and mobility issues caused by pressure on the spine. Common conditions that respond well to this treatment include:

Herniated or Bulging Discs – Reducing pressure on the discs helps them return to their normal position.

Sciatica – Relieving nerve compression can ease pain that radiates down the legs.

Degenerative Disc Disease – Creating space between the vertebrae can slow disc deterioration.

Chronic Back or Neck Pain – Stretching the spine alleviates tension and improves flexibility.

What to Expect During Treatment

A session typically lasts between 15 and 30 minutes. Patients lie on a motorized table while our chiropractor adjusts the traction to target specific areas of the spine. The treatment is gentle and relaxing, with most patients experiencing little to no discomfort. Several sessions may be needed to achieve lasting relief and maintain spinal health.

Contact Lions Chiropractic & Injury for an Appointment Today

If you’re considering spinal decompression, contact Lions Chiropractic & Injury in Winter Park, FL, at (407) 951-5500 today. Our team is ready to answer any questions you have and assist with scheduling your appointment. When you need a trusted chiropractor near you, our team is here to help!

Chiropractic Care for Fibromyalgia

Controlling pain can be a never-ending challenge when you have fibromyalgia. Medications don't always completely relieve symptoms or may cause side effects that make you feel worse. Chiropractic care decreases your pain and may even reduce fatigue and improve headaches.

Fibromyalgia and Pain

Everything hurts when you have fibromyalgia. Pain is hard to treat because you never know where you'll experience it next or how long a flare-up will last. Unfortunately, pain isn't the only symptom of fibromyalgia. If you have the condition, you may also experience:

Stiff Muscles and Joints
Sleep Problems
Headaches
Jaw Pain
Tingling and Numbness in Hands and Feet
Gastrointestinal Problems
Irritable Bladder
Migraines
Fatigue
Memory and Concentration Problems
Anxiety
Depression

Although inflammation may seem like a likely reason your joints and muscles hurt, that may not always be the case. In fact, the condition might be related to an issue with the nervous system, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

Pain involves a complex relationship between your brain and your nerves. Your nerves constantly send information to the brain via the spinal cord. Some messages help the brain identify the position of your limbs and keep you from falling. Others make it possible to feel heat from a hot oven and help you avoid a burn.

Nociceptors, nerve cells responsible for pain stimuli, also send signals to the brain. The brain determines if the stimuli are painful and decides how much pain you'll feel. If there's a problem during any part of this complex process, you may feel pain even if you haven't injured yourself.

How Chiropractors Treat Fibromyalgia

Chiropractors commonly treat conditions that affect the nerves and understand how nervous system problems may play a part in fibromyalgia symptoms. Improving the function of your nervous system with chiropractic could help you control and decrease common symptoms.

Pressure on your nerves could be making your fibromyalgia symptoms worse. It's difficult for signals to travel back and forth to the brain when nerves are compressed. If the nerves to your stomach are compressed, you might experience indigestion or other stomach issues. Pressure on the nerves that serve your soft tissues could increase the pain you feel in your muscles.

Tight muscles or tissues or subluxations are possible causes of increased pressure on the nerves. A subluxation occurs when a vertebra in your spinal column becomes misaligned.

Chiropractors offer several treatments that could ease your symptoms, including:

Spinal Manipulation. Spinal manipulation involves adjusting the position of misaligned vertebrae with an activator or quick, hands-on movements. Realigning the vertebrae eliminates pressures on the nerves, improves range of motion, and may ease pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms. Australian researchers noted the positive effects of chiropractic in a study published in the Chiropractic Journal of Australia. A woman who received spinal manipulation treatments during the study reported less pain and fatigue, better overall health, and improved sleep quality after the treatments.
Massage and Soft Tissue Manipulation. Chiropractors use these therapies to gently relax sore muscles and tissues. Massage and soft tissue manipulation ease pain, reduce stiffness and tender spots, and improve flexibility. These therapies can also be helpful if tight neck and shoulder muscles contribute to your headache pain.

Chiropractic treatments prompt the body to release endorphins and serotonin, hormones that naturally ease pain. The hormones also help you feel relaxed, which could improve sleep quality and duration.

Regular visits to the chiropractor will help you keep your symptoms under control. As part of your treatment plan, your chiropractor may also recommend exercises that will ease pain and stiffness and strengthen your muscles.

Ready to find out if chiropractic can reduce your fibromyalgia symptoms? Contact our office to schedule a visit with the chiropractor.

Sources:

American College of Rheumatology: Fibromyalgia, 2/2023

https://rheumatology.org/patients/fibromyalgia

Chiropractic Journal of Australia: Chiropractic Treatment for Fibromyalgia, 3/13/2018

https://www.cjaonline.com.au/index.php/cja/article/view/193

CDC: Fibromyalgia, 5/25/2022

https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/types/fibromyalgia.htm

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease: Fibromyalgia

https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/fibromyalgia