Fibro Triggers Part 2

Please note: I’ve been working for a few months on setting up a teleconference support group for those interested.The idea is to have it weekly for 45 minutes to one hour. I could speak on a topic and then there would be time for questions and answers. After the phone support group each of you would receive a recording of the call.  If any interest, please e-mail me at fibro@drgenemartin.com and write support group in the description.

Fibro Triggers 2

As mentioned in the first post on triggers, traumas play a large part in the triggering of Fibromalgia. I’d like to specifically speak about Auto accidents.

Whiplash injures (even the name) has become a joke. The malingerer who yells whiplash etc. The fact of the matter is that a Whiplash injury is serious and ligaments and muscles in the neck and other parts of the body are pulled and torn to different degrees. This can lead to general instability in the neck and nervous system, among other parts of the body. Generally the most common immediate symptoms are headaches, stiffness pain and fatigue. However it is very well studied that symptoms can appear weeks and even months later. This is one of the reasons why Insurance companies are so eager to settle a claim as fast as possible. They are than off the hook.

I’ve, many times, seen the auto accident victims, where the claims has been closed but the symptoms start worsening over time and ultimately turn into Fibromyalgia. Therefore, I advise you never to settle a claim right away, no matter how much you are pressured by an insurance company or an attorney. Don’t let them dangle money in front of you as an incentive to settle the case. Wait at least a year.

Don’t be afraid to fight with the doc who says that you cannot be inured or that there is no relationship between an auto injury and Fibro, this is just plain wrong. Get another opinion, in fact demand another opinion. You are within your rights.

Many times the accident victim will be sent for an independent opinion to another doctor. This is called an I.M.E. (Independent Medical Evaluation). I strongly advise you to bring a friend or relative to the exam and have he or she in the room during the history and examination. If the Doctor refuses this, turn around and leave. You have every right to have another person in the room with you. Remember that Doctors who are paid by insurance companies to do these exams might have a conflict of interest. It is to their benefit to downplay the symptoms to make the insurance company happy. After all the insurance company is paying their bills. By the way, if you can’t bring a friend, bring a voice recorder and record the entire session, from history to exam. If the doctor says no, or you can’t immediately leave.

It is vitally important to do all that is necessary so you recover properly from an injury and so it does not ultimately trigger Fibromyalgia.

Lastly, the notion of a Whiplash injury being totally healed in 6 weeks is plain nonsense. It usually takes much longer than that and a person is never really 100% healed. With proper rehabilitation, they can get most of the way, but when there are any types of injuries to the body, there will always be some residual weakness. Think of the scar when you cut yourself. Scar tissue is never as strong as the original tissue.

Another of the triggers of Fibromyalgia fall more into a miscellaneous category with one thing in common. This is having your head and neck in extension for a prolonged period of time. In English, this means having your head looking in an up position (as if you were watching fireworks or an air show).

There are a number of ways this can happen and more often than not they lead to a flare (for people with Fibro), or  these can trigger the onset of Fibro.

Examples:

Dental surgery, where your head is in this position while the Dentist is working on your teeth.

An exercise class where you are told to stretch your neck in different positions.

The Beauty Salon, where your head is being washed in the sink and, of course, your head is pushed back and upward.

A Chiropractic adjustment where your head and neck are twisted into that same position.

A physical therapy session, where again, the therapist is having you do stretches that cause this extension.

These are some of the situations where this might arise and it is best to avoid having your head in this position, at all costs. Dentists, Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, Beauticians can easily modify what they do to take this into account, but it is up to you to be aware of it and inform the person that you need to avoid that position.