One of the most elusive and difficult to diagnose conditions is the disease known as fibromyalgia. It manifests itself in a variety of uncomfortable and painful ways from fatigue to complete body pain to depression and anxiety to headaches. Because of something called abnormal pain perception processing, those suffering from fibromyalgia experience a heightened response to pain, much more severe than those who don't. It affects about 4 million adults in the United States. Not only is it difficult to diagnose, but it can be difficult to treat. Fortunately, pain management doctors can help. With a good mix of professional and self-treatment, it's possible to treat, or at least manage, fibromyalgia pain.

Professional Treatment Options:

A pain management doctor is your best option with this particular disease and most doctors use a combination of treatments as part of your management strategy. Medications are certainly one of the tools that will come into play. In fact, there are three fibromyalgia-specific drugs: duloxetine and milnacipran (anti-depressants) and pregabalin (anti-seizure). However, your doctor may decide to prescribe a non-fibromyalgia-specific drug to treat your specific symptoms. Cognitive behavior therapy may also be a regular part of your professional treatment, specifically to manage the symptoms of depression associated with the disease. This type of therapy is designed to help you talk through your problems with a specialist with the goal of altering the way you think or behave.

Self-Management Options

To successfully manage your fibromyalgia pain, you will also need to implement a self-management strategy. Developing good sleep habits is a great way to self-manage your pain. Although it can be difficult to manage good sleep habits if you have a demanding job or you're a parent, you can do your best to ensure that you get the sleep your body needs by keeping as regular a sleep schedule as you can manage. It's different for everyone, but your body knows how much sleep you need. Try to make sure it gets it. Aerobic exercise is another important step to self-management. Some fibromyalgia sufferers are worried that exercise will flare up their symptoms. It's important to start slow. Start walking for just a couple minutes every day, gradually increasing the time as you can manage it. If you can get to 30 minutes, two to three times a week, your body will respond positively. It should be low-impact aerobic activities like walking, cycling, swimming, water aerobics, yoga, or tai chi.