Because it is a set of symptoms, fibromyalgia is classified as a syndrome rather than a disease. The cause of fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS is unclear, but it is invasive, affecting every aspect of your life. Symptoms include tenderness in various points on the body, fatigue and pervasive muscle pain. To cope, you may use one or an array of strategies, including counseling, physical therapies, electrotherapy and light aerobic exercise, in addition to medications.

Light Aerobic Exercise

According to the National Pain Foundation, light aerobic exercise--walking, swimming, elliptical training, water aerobics and biking--helps to deliver oxygen and nutrition to muscles and increase lost energy and stamina, significantly decreasing fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms. Start with short periods of exercise and work up to 20 minutes of sustained exercise, including warm-up and cool-down periods. Consistent moderation in all activities, every day, is important.

Physical Therapy

A physical therapist who specializes in pain relief can work with you in a number of ways, including stretching, posture training and resistance training, to ease FMS symptoms. Stretching exercises help give you short-term relief, but the pain may quickly return. Posture training will heighten your awareness of your stance and position and help you stack your bones naturally, thus taking stress off them and relieving muscle tightness resulting from your skeleton's poor alignment. Resistance training will strengthen your muscles.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial release, in which the physical therapist presses and gently stretches your muscles in painful areas, is a specialized type of physical therapy. It can often reduce the pain of fibromyalgia, according to the National Pain Foundation, and patients report that it is also relaxing.

Electrotherapy

In electrotherapy treatments, the therapist directs small amounts of electrical current to your muscles and nerves. This increases blood flow and scrambles the pain messages that would ordinarily make their way to your brain. Sometimes electrotherapy is done in conjunction with ultrasound to achieve deeper penetration of the muscles.

The Feldenkrais Method

A mind-body integration therapy, the Feldenkrais method can benefit you, according to the National Pain Foundation, no matter what your ability level is or how fit you feel. You will engage in gentle movements that promote bodily awareness, increase flexibility and improve coordination. The method is taught in "Awareness through Movement" classes. Like resistance training and myofascial release, the Feldenkrais method strengthens and stretches your muscles to give you relief from pain.

Medications

Your doctor will probably prescribe medication to relieve your FMS symptoms. Pregabalin is the first FMS medication specifically approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the pain of the condition. Pregabalin also acts to improve sleep and ease fatigue. Muscle relaxants will ease your pain and may help you to sleep better. Anti-depressants, including serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic anti-depressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, help FMS patients sleep better and, depending on the drug, may help you manage pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids are often prescribed but are "of questionable benefit" for FMS, according to the National Pain Foundation.

Stress Management and Counseling

Counseling is a valuable FMS management strategy. It can help you to become self-aware, learn to say "no" without guilt, moderate your activities and come to terms with the condition and its pain. All of these help to ease stress, which can exacerbate your symptoms.

Source:

MayoClinic.com: Fibromyalgia

National Pain Foundation: Fibromyalgia--Physical Therapies

National Pain Foundation: Fibromyalgia--Medications

More Information:

MayoClinic.com: Fibromyalgia--Treatments and Drugs

American Pain Foundation: Fibromyalgia: Five Things You Need to Know