Does physiotherapy help?

[jan1951xs]

Hi everyone, I am in my mid 70s and fibromyalgia is getting increasingly painful in my upper arms. My GP can only recommend ibuprofen which does help but I'm reluctant to take it constantly.

I think I read somewhere that physiotherapy might help in certain cases. Has anyone have regular physio for fibromyalgia joint pain and would they recommend it? Thanks Jan.

 

[sunkacola]

Hi @jan1951xs and welcome to the forum.
PT can help with some things, but generally it is only recommended for strengthening areas of the body where there has been an injury. The problem with using it for fibro is that is can - although won't always - exacerbate pain by overusing an area where there is pain.

You could give it a try if you want to, because if it makes things worse you can always stop. I have personally used PT for various things and some of the time it has been just what I needed, and other times it has made things worse, but I have only had it with connection to a specific physical injury of some kind. I don't know that it would help with fibromyalgia, but you won't know if you don't try it.

 

[SBee]

hello @jan1951xs and welcome. I see you are in the UK, I would ask your gp for a referral for physio ( in my area you can actually refer yourself on the nhs ). That way, a physiotherapist can ensure you exercise safely, within the confines of your body. As with @sunkacola I have only had physio for a specific injury but would encourage you to try.

At home, I would certainly recommend gentle stretching as much as possible, to help general body movement and limit any stiffness.

 

[Harpy]

For me personally physio did nothing for my fibro.
Like SBee said I too was required to see a physio but for injuries. Try gentle chair exercises, start with small sets , say lift one leg 5x , then the other. Raise your arm out straight 5 times then the other. Then work up each week till you get some strength. There are good chair exercises, just google them. Good luck.

 

[sunkacola]

Very good suggestion from @Harpy , above.
Also.............
Google "chair yoga" or "chair exercises" or "exercises for seniors" (whether or not you are actually a senior is irrelevant) and do the same on YouTube and see what comes up.
Choose someone with a voice you like, and with music you like, because if you do not find it nice to listen to, you won't want to do it.
And then do it every day and see if it helps.

 

[JamieMarc]

@jan1951xs

I went through 12 weeks twice a week of physical therapy and the only thing I got out of it was tips on things I could do at home to minimize some of my symptoms.

I do not believe that regular physical therapy will help with fibromyalgia, but I do believe that everyone should give it a shot. You might be surprised at some of the things a physical therapist can teach you about the body, as well as things you can do to help yourself at home.

If you do try it, I do recommend being vocal whenever the therapist does something or asks you to do something that is painful. Not only will that give the physical therapist additional insight into what might be going on, but it can also protect yourself from further damage to your body.

 

[sunkacola]

@jan1951xs
Very good point from @JamieMarc above. Advocate for yourself. If something feels like too much or hurts in a way that YOU feel is not "good pain" then speak up, and refuse the exercise.
You will not cause a problem by doing that....the physical therapist will just come up with something that is the same thing but more mild. And if that doesn't feel good, there will be an even more mild version! There's no harm at all in starting off with very tiny and mild movements if that is what is needed.

This has been my experience with PT......if I say something is too much they just scale it down until I feel it is OK.
If you ever feel put down or that the therapist is becoming impatient with you, look for a different place to go or request a different therapist. You get to be the ultimate authority on what happens with your body.

 

[ILONA]

@jan1951xs I went through 12 weeks twice a week of physical therapy and the only thing I got out of it was tips on things I could do at home to minimize some of my symptoms. I do not believe that regular physical therapy will help with fibromyalgia, but I do believe that everyone should give it a shot. You might be surprised at some of the things a physical therapist can teach you about the body, as well as things you can do to help yourself at home. If you do try it, I do recommend being vocal whenever the therapist does something or asks you to do something that is painful. Not only will that give the physical therapist additional insight into what might be going on, but it can also protect yourself from further damage to your body.

 

[JamieMarc]

@ILONA Why did you copy and paste my post as if it were your own?

 

[sunkacola]

@ILONA ....was copying @JamieMarc a mistake, and you what you really wanted was to reply to it? I know you are new to the forum, so perhaps you haven't quite got the hang of how it works yet.

If you want to reply to a post with a quote, look down in the lower right hand corner of the post you want to quote and reply to, and click on "Reply with quote". Then your reply will appear with the person's post quoted above it.

 

[JamieMarc]

@sunkacola @ILONA
I thought that might be the case too. But I did not know that @ILONA was new to our forums. No harm done. Just curious as to what is going on.