SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — Although good drugs are available, it takes more than medications to manage fibromyalgia, according to Dr. Chad S. Boomershine.
“I recommend that fibromyalgia patients perform stretches every morning and, on alternating days, engage in aerobic and resistance exercise a total of 6 days per week,” counseled Dr. Boomershine, a rheumatologist at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., where he specializes in treating fibromyalgia in collaboration with the Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health and the Vanderbilt Dayani Center.
“The combination of aerobic and resistance exercise is particularly effective in improving symptoms. Since many patients don't live near an exercise facility, I provide patients with instructional handouts and [professional elastic resistance bands] for resistance exercise on their initial visit so they can exercise at home,” Dr. Boomershine said at a meeting sponsored by
Dr. Boomershine said he refers his patients to the exercise guide on the National Institute on Aging Web site (www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/ExerciseGuide
He also recommends the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability Web site's exercise fact sheet (www.ncpad.org/exercise/fact_sheet.php?sheet=259
Additionally, he recommends that patients learn more about fibromyalgia and find support groups in their area. “Due to the severity of their symptoms, patients are often afraid they have a terminal illness,” he noted. “Understanding that fibromyalgia is not progressive and realizing they can manage their symptoms by learning self-help techniques is empowering and necessary if patients are to have lasting symptom improvement.”
The Web sites www.knowfibro.comwww.fmaware.org
Between 2% and 4% of the U.S. population meet the fibromyalgia classification criteria issued in 1990 by the American College of Rheumatology. However, the true prevalence is estimated to be about twice as high, and—as prevalence increases with age—fibromyalgia is expected to become increasingly common with the aging of the population, he said.
Of those who have the condition, the reported 9:1 ratio of women to men is incorrect, as women have more tender points and men are more likely to self-medicate rather than to seek medical care.
There are no official figures on how many people are unable to work due to fibromyalgia because the Social Security Adminustration does not recognize it as a cause of disability.
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