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"Researchers in Boston have found regular walks and stretching exercises can help ease the chronic pain of fibromyalgia. In a study of 207 women between the ages of 18 and 75 diagnosed with fibromyalgia, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University assigned one group to a twice-weekly aerobic and stretching program for 16 weeks. Another group added mild strength training, while a third group attended a 2-hour education course every two weeks. A fourth group combined all of the approaches. The study found an exercise program that included progressive walking and flexibility movements, with or without strength training, improved physical, emotional, and social function." [Nurse.com, Dec. 7 2007) Exercise is a very important part of the recovery process of Fibromyalgia. However, done improperly it can aggravate and intensify the already debilitating symptoms associated with this disorder. Many people with FMS tend to avoid physical activity, fearing the sensations of pain will be intensified. I would like to reassure you of the benefits of exercise, as well as inform you on some of the proper exercise choices, frequencies, intensities and program design. My hope is that this will help solve some of the problems that may have been preventing you from making it through the fitness component of your recovery process. Resistance Training A. It is important to select at least one exercise for each of the major muscle groups in order to promote muscular development and balance. (They should not all be done in one day, however. Break them up into several days.) Limiting resistance training to only a few muscle groups creates muscular imbalances causing postural deviations and increased biomechanical strain. This results in a significantly greater risk of pain and injury. If you have lots of muscular imbalance, from performing the same repetitive movements over and over without working the other muscles, your structure can be compromised. Some people will experience a “shut down” after attempting to start an exercise program. The body will work very hard to protect itself from this type of abuse. B. Make sure that you know what you are doing, or have someone who is certified in exercise instruction show you how to perform each exercise correctly. Some people can get away with form that is not quite perfect. Unfortunately, with fibromyalgia, we can’t afford to create any excess micro-trauma to the muscles and joints. This is one of the reasons why so many of us have tried, only to be overcome with pain and exhaustion. This is your body’s way of trying to protect itself! Helpful hint: Taking a warm shower or bath before exercise helps to relax the muscles. This may also help to release some of those myo-facial trigger points. It is very hard to get stronger, when your body is all tensed up! BENEFITS:
GOOD AND BAD MUSCLE SORENESS & HOW TO JUDGE IT: NOT SO PRODUCTIVE SORENESS: If you DO NOT feel sore the day after, but 2 days later, this is called DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness. This is an indicator that you may need to lighten up on the weight, number of sets, and/or reps. Also, if you are sore for more than 2 or 3 days, lighten up on weight, sets and reps! PRODUCTIVE SORENESS: If a muscle is a little sore (from an exercise) one or two days after working that muscle, but not so sore that you can’t function normally, this is productive soreness. Begin with 2 days per week. Eventually, it might be possible to exercise with resistance 5 days a week, if you are working out a different body part each day. Remember, most muscles need only be worked with resistance once a week. Give yourself plenty of time to recover. Rest is just as important as exercise! FREQUENCY: As with aerobic activities, it is very important to let the muscles recover. It may take a while before your muscles recover at the same rate as someone who does not have FMS. Use good judgment, and don't try to "build Rome in one day!" INTENSITY: It is important to understand the different types of contractions. The concentric contraction is the movement that shortens the muscle being moved. The eccentric movement is the movement that lengthens the muscle being moved. Studies show that most of the micro-tears occur during the eccentric movement of resistance training. In regular weight lifting, micro-tears are considered a good thing, because that is what causes the muscle to rebuild and get stronger. With FMS, it is not recommended to focus on the negative movements, until your body has cleared. Too much micro-tearing can exacerbate FMS. Begin with 2 sets of 10 repetitions with good form. Slowly work up to 3 sets of 20 with good form. Once that stops making you a little sore the next day, increase the weight a little bit, backing up on your repetitions to about 10, and work your way back up to 20. Once you become conditioned, you can manipulate your muscular development by changing the reps and weights to suit your goals. Stop before you are fatigued. You can exercise through the normal pain, but stop when you feel you could go just a little bit longer. Once you have become conditioned, you can push yourself harder. I recommend waiting until your mapping looks pretty clear to begin training to complete muscle failure. If you are not sore at all in the next two days after a workout, you could probably increase the intensity next time. If you experience DOMS, lighten up on the intensity. Aerobic Exercise As you exercise, you may discover that your cycling intensifies. This is why it is so important to keep your exercise light and therapeutic in the beginning. A couple of examples of this would be light water aerobics in a heated pool, or an easy going walk after dinner, as long as your doctor gives you permission. This type of exercise helps to reduce pain, keeps the joints and muscles lubricated, improves flexibility, and works the heart muscle. It may take up to a year or longer before your doctor gives you the green light to proceed to the next level. FREQUENCY: It used to be recommended that people get aerobic type exercise 3-5 days per week, but more studies are showing 4-6 is considerably more beneficial. For FMS, start with what you can tolerate, and as you clear, increase the frequency. Getting in shape is not easy for anyone, and you will be testing your abilities through trial and error at times. It is important to make sure you are not holding back out of past experiences that may no longer be applicable as your body adapts. The more you exercise, the more you will know how your body responds, so you can make adjustments accordingly. Journaling can help you keep track of your body’s adaptations. (Daily Chart) Everybody has different tolerances, and they are always changing with FMS. Do what feels appropriate for that day. I do not recommend doing more than 45 minutes a day at higher intensities, for most individuals. Even just 20 minutes of high intensity (not high impact) aerobic exercise is highly beneficial. INTENSITY: You can begin with one minute, and add another each day, until you reach 30 to 45 minutes of sustained aerobic exercise. You can even do this 10 minutes at a time throughout the day. Some people may have a hard time even getting up to get to the bathroom. Start wherever you are, and work up. Take an extra trip around the house, adding one each day until you can take longer walks outside. It really can be done!!!!!! Again, stop before you are fatigued. You can exercise through the normal pain, but stop when you feel you could go just a little bit longer. Once you have become conditioned to very light sustained aerobic activity, interval training is the best way to increase your intensity. This is best done with the aid of a personal trainer. NOTE: Due to the amount of tender points in the torso, when it comes to sustained aerobic exercise, it is a good idea to focus on lower body activities such as walking or cycling during the 1st phase of your program. Stretching BENEFITS of stretching:
We personally recommend “The Egoscue Method of Health and Healing” by Pete Egoscue. You can purchase his book for about $13 at any book store, and learn the techniques yourself. This is a great way to restore function to all of your movements, and prepare you for future workouts. I am pretty sure you will love most of these stretches, as they can be very passive and relaxing. Click on the DVD picture below to go to a website where you can see samples of these exercises and order the DVD's if you wish. Of course, the the book and DVD's are also available on Amazon.com.
FREQUENCY: It is a good idea to work up to stretching every day, even twice a day, if you have the time and ability. Not everyone will be able to do this at first. Always warm up those muscles with gentle movements before stretching. This draws blood to the muscles to help keep them “lubricated”. It is not a good idea to stretch “dry” or without warming up first. INTENSITY: Most experts agree, that with FMS, you should not hold your stretches quite as long, due to the stress on your muscles. Start out with 5-10 seconds and work your way up. As you continue with your recovery, you will feel your tolerance go up. Use your good judgment. If you start working your way up, and notice that your muscles are getting worse, shorten those stretches. Stretching should feel good, a slight pull, but not painful. Never bounce when stretching. Hold those stretches statically, and ease into it. NOTE: The facia will often stay tight regardless of the stretches you do. I recommend visiting a massage therapist that really understands this condition, and have them work on the lower back, chest, neck, shoulders, and intercostals. Please warn your therapist that deep tissue massage with FMS is a "no-no"!
Click on the video link on the left to watch a short video on Emotional Freedom Techniques. This self-therapy can help with pain, depression, headaches and other fibromyalgia symptoms. Based on impressive new discoveries regarding the body's subtle energies, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) often works where nothing else will. For proof, here is a sampling of our actual cases. They are written for you by everyday citizens, physicians and therapists: Pain Management, Addictions, Weight loss, Allergies, Children's Issues, Vision, Headaches, Panic/Anxiety, Asthma, Trauma, Depression, Carpal Tunnel, ADD-ADHD, Eating disorders, OCD, Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Neuropathy Anyone can use EFT and you don't need specialized schooling for it. In most cases, common sense will do. No meds or surgeries are involved either. You can get a free EFT manual by clicking here. |
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Home / What's Wrong With Me / What Works / Diet / Probiotic Therapy / Iodine Supplementation / Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements / Mouth and Dental Issues / Exercise / Sleep / Medications / Symptoms and Solutions / Fibromyalgia Treatment Programs / Recommended Products / Discussion Groups / Contact Us This website is intended as information only. The editors of this site are not medically-trained. Please consult your licensed health care practitioner before implementing any health strategy. The information provided on this site is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her existing physician. This site accepts no advertising. Website edited by Brenda Frandsen and Liz Jaconelli. Last Updated: 04/03/2008 |
