Dr. Calicker said that aerobic exercise in moderate increments is helpful with pain management.

“Eastern practices can also be helpful, like yoga, tai chi and acupuncture,” she said. “These practices may be a little easier to navigate, and also decrease stress both physically and mentally.”

Another nonmedical treatment is mental health counseling. Fibromyalgia can be incredibly taxing on the body, as it can cause mental limitations.

“Therapy is also helpful to address not only the mood disorder but to have an outlet for patients to navigate their diagnosis. Oftentimes, patients feel alone and don’t feel comfortable sharing their true feelings with those close to them. Therapy can help navigate and redirect thoughts, which have been shown to improve patients’ outlook on their diagnosis,” Dr. Calicker said.

Dr. Calicker said that herbal supplements are also recommended.

“Alternatives should still be discussed with your provider to see how they will work with any concurrent treatment you are receiving and also so they can monitor progress with different interventions to help develop a good routine,” she said.

Physical therapy can help patients get back on their feet.

“Because of the symptoms of fibromyalgia, it is difficult for patients to be motivated to move. Physical therapy is a way to have accountability for movement with directed exercises and has been shown to improve pain and fatigue symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia,” Dr. Calicker said.

A healthy mix of several of these treatments can dull the symptoms quite a bit, but as Dr. Calicker said, the support of a medical professional is strongly suggested.

chronic pain

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