Preventing Common Causes Of Fibromyalgia Flareups

October 19, 2023 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Anyone who suffers from fibromyalgia knows just how disruptive a flareup can be. One minute you’re enjoying your day, the next you’re dealing with pain and fatigue. And while fibromyalgia can be a tricky condition to completely cure, you can significantly reduce the number of flareups you experience if you are aware of some of the most common fibromyalgia triggers.

Below, we take a look at some of the ways you can prevent fibromylagia flareups by addressing some of the most common triggers.

Common Fibromylagia Triggers And Prevention Tips

Here’s a look at some of the most common fibromylagia triggers, and some advice for keeping these triggers at bay.

Sleep Deprivation – Failing to get adequate healthy sleep can seriously increase your risk of a fibromyalgia flareup. Poor sleep has been clinically proven to increase our sensitivity to pain, make a person more susceptible to a flareup. Obviously the issue can be cyclical in nature, with poor sleep leading to fibro flareups, and flareups making it hard to attain restful sleep. Our best advice is to make your bedroom a dark and quiet environment free from light and technological distractions, and strive to go to bed and wake up around the same time in order to make it easier for your body to develop a healthy circadian rhythm.

Routine Irregularity – If your daily routine is regularly upended, it’s easier to become stressed, and stress is a major trigger for fibromyalgia. We’re not saying that you need to do the exact same things every single day to avoid stress triggers, but try to create a healthy sleep and meal schedule. Wake up, eat your meals and go to bed around the same time each day to help your body get in a healthy routine.

Poor Dietary Choices – Unhealthy food choices are oftentimes pro-inflammatory, and inflammation onset can trigger a fibromyalgia flareup. Try to get the bulk of your calories from fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Limit the fatty and sugary foods, as they can lead to reactions inside your body that cause a fibromyalgia flareup.

Stress – Stress is likely the most common cause of a fibromyalgia flareup, and that makes sense because we all experience stress each and every day. We deal with work pressure, social stressors and family drama, and all of that stress and anxiety can lead to muscle tension and a fibromyalgia flareup. Work to eliminate sources of stress from your life, and find healthy outlets to manage it when it manifests. Many people find that exercise, yoga, meditation or reading can help them find some inner balance and reduce feelings of stress.

Illness – People with fibromyalgia tend to have it worse when they get sick, because sickness triggers an inflammatory response within the body, and this inflammation can contribute to a fibromyalgia attack. There’s no way to completely avoid getting sick, but make it a point to develop some healthy habits. Eat a nutritious diet, wash your hands regularly and get your flu shot every year!

If you’re finding it difficult to mange your fibromyalgia flareups, don’t be afraid to lean on a professional for assistance. Dr. Cohn has helped countless patients reduce or eliminate their fibromyalgia flareups by giving them the individualized attention they need to cultivate a treatment program tailored to their individual needs. For more information, or to enlist his help, give his office a call today at (952) 738-4580.

Tips For Managing Your Fibromyalgia During The Summer

June 23, 2022 / Thomas Cohn, MD

The summer weather is here to stay for a while in Minnesota, and while warmer temperatures may be a treat to some, they can also make it more likely that you’ll experience a flareup with your fibromyalgia. Studies have shown that our joints tend to work better in warmer temperatures than in colder temps, but summer heat can make it more likely for muscles to cramp, headaches to develop or fibromyalgia flareups, none of which are enjoyable.

With that in mind, we wanted to share some tips for preventing fibromyalgia flareups during the warm summer months.

Preventing Fibro Flareup This Summer

Everyone’s fibromyalgia condition is unique to them, so there’s no guanrantee that these techniques will prevent any and all flareups. That being said, many people notice that their flareups are less common when they strive to keep these tips in mind throughout the summer.

Stay Hydrated – Stay hydrated so that it’s easier for your heart to pump healthy blood to structures that need it the most. If you’re dehydrated, it will be harder for your muscles to get the oxygen they need to work efficiently, which can lead to cramps, spasms and fibromyalgia-related pain. It’s helpful to keep a water bottle nearby at all times, but that’s especially true in the summer.

Dress Appropriately – Tight, restrictive clothing or heavy options that make it harder for your body to regulate its temperature can also make it more likely that you’ll have a flareup. Patients with fibromyalgia or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) will want to wear light, breathable options to help keep nerve irritation at bay.

Stay Cool – Look for shady spots if you have to be outdoors, and do your best to avoid extended periods out in the hot summer sun. Again, this can make it harder for your body to keep itself cool and regulate its temperature, which can send nerves into overdrive. Find ways to stay cool and avoid becoming overheated when outdoors this summer.

Eye The Air Quality Index – Keep an eye on the air quality index this summer. Low air quality can lead to more inflammation in your muscles and joints, making a fibro flareup more likely. You can’t control the air quality, but be mindful of how low quality days may affect your condition.

Mind Your Diet – Eating a healthy diet can sometimes make fibromyalgia symptoms less noticeable, so consider tracking what you eat and removing trigger foods from your diet. Summer is oftentimes a time when we are tempted with unhealthier options at barbecues and picnics, so while it’s fine to indulge here or there, take note of which foods seem to help alleviate your symptoms or which ones make things worse.

Speak To A Specialist – Finally, if you dread summer because of how it affects your fibromyalgia, now is the time to speak to a specialist like Dr. Cohn. We can get to the bottom of your condition and set you up with an individualized care plan based on your specific needs. For more information, or for help with your chronic pain issue, give Dr. Cohn’s office a call today at (952) 738-4580.

Fibromyalgia: A Real Disease

August 26, 2016 / Thomas Cohn, MD

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that causes diffuse pain throughout the body. Unfortunately, many practitioners still believe it is strictly a psychological disorder and many of the patients are faking symptoms. New research has now been finding objective changes that correlate to the symptoms in fibromyalgia. These findings however are not leading to tests to prove whether a person does or does not have the syndrome.

Diffuse whole body pain with muscle tenderness, abdominal complaints, headaches, fatigue, and sleep issues all are prominent characteristics of fibromyalgia. Currently, the diagnosis is made by history and exam of a patient, then by excluding other diseases such as diabetes, thyroid dysfunction and rheumatoid arthritis. The disease is much more common in females and first becomes symptomatic in the mid- to late-twenties but sometimes as late as the fifties to early sixties. The severity can be highly variable, from mild to disabling. Treatment is basically symptomatic at this time.

New Fibromyalgia Research

Dr. Anne Louise Oaklander of Massachusetts General Hospital studied 27 patients with fibromyalgia as diagnosed with the American College of Rheumatology criteria of the disease, and used a group of 30 matched control subjects. Skin biopsies were taken of the lower leg and 41% of the patients met the criteria of small fiber polyneuropathy. Her team also studied a group of 41 patients who had fibromyalgia begining as a juvenile, and 59% of those had small fiber polyneuropathy as diagnosed with a skin biopsy. Further study of these same patients indicate some of them appeared to have an immune component, like those with rheumatoid or lupus arthritis, and when treated similarly they improved in symptoms. Small fiber polyneuropathy is also seen in diabetes and vascular disease and is associated with the pain these patients experience. Unfortunately, the definitive test for this type of neuropathy is a biopsy (which is a removal of a small patch of skin) and microscopically examining it for nerve fiber endings, which is quite complex.

The importance of this study is that these findings indicate that there is real pathology behind fibromyalgia. It is not psychosomatic or imaginary. It also makes the disease more understandable. The small nerve fibers are those that carry pain sensations. If these fibers are abnormal, the result is pain. These fibers exist throughout the body, in the limbs one would have muscle pain, in the head one would get headaches, and in the trunk one might have stomach problems.

Small fiber neuropathy and peripheral neuropathy are currently best treated with medications that affect nerve cell function. The common medications, know as neuropathics, including gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, some other antidepressants, and a few miscellaneous medications are helpful. Opioids are very poor medications for this and help very little if at all. Fibromyalgia seems to respond in a similar way, and if it is a small fiber neuropathy, the same treatments would be beneficial.

Improving the understanding of the cause of fibromyalgia and the changes that exist in the body hopefully will lead to better treatment. Not all patients with fibromyalgia have these findings of small fiber neuropathy on biopsy. This syndrome may have different causes, and the treatment may vary due to these differences. Knowing that about half of the patients at least probably have small fiber neuropathy allows physicians to focus treatments that are effective for these problems. Further, the youngest patients with fibromyalgia commonly have immune system dysfunction and treatment for these disorders has also been showing promise. Fibromyalgia is slowly moving from a “psychological” problem to an objective medical syndrome with definitive findings.