- Home
- Conditions
- Chronic
- Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition of widespread pain, fatigue, unrefreshing sleep and cognitive difficulty. It is a recognised condition with recognised diagnostic criteria, not a diagnosis of exclusion, and exercise is one of the few interventions with consistently good evidence behind it. The difficulty is that the wrong dose of exercise flares it badly, which is why a graded, individually paced approach matters so much.
5.0
Does this sound like you?
Most people have several of these, not all of them.
- Widespread pain on both sides of the body, above and below the waist
- Fatigue that is not relieved by rest
- Waking unrefreshed regardless of hours slept
- Difficulty concentrating and word-finding, often called fibro fog
- Heightened sensitivity to touch, temperature, light and noise
Why it happens
- Changes in how the central nervous system processes pain signals
- Frequently triggered by physical trauma, illness or a period of severe stress
- Sleep disturbance, which both results from and worsens it
- Family history, which raises the likelihood
- More commonly diagnosed in women, though it affects men too
What we would do about it
Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.
- Graded exercise started well below the level that provokes a flare
- Pacing strategies to level out the boom-and-bust pattern
- Hydrotherapy, which many people tolerate better than land-based work
- Gentle manual therapy where it helps, avoiding heavy-handed techniques
- Sleep strategies as a central part of the plan
- Working alongside your GP and any specialists involved
See a doctor first if
- Your pain followed a significant injury
- It is getting worse rather than settling
- It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.
The dose of exercise is everything here
Too much sets you back for a fortnight; the right amount builds capacity. Finding that level for you specifically is what we do, and it takes an assessment. Ask a question first, or call us on 0403 907 587.
Trouble with the form? Open booking in a new tab or call 0403 907 587.
Other chronic conditions we treat
Related reading: pain that outlasts healing, fatigue after illness and inflammatory joint disease.
General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Fibromyalgia on Physiopedia.
