To Get Adjusted, or Not to Get Adjusted?

Chiropractic manipulation is often suggested as a treatment for fibromyalgia pain-and almost as often warned against. What's a fibromyalgia patient to do?

Here we take a look at some studies that have investigated the value of chiropractic as a treatment for FM. Before making your final decision about undertaking chiropractic treatments, talk to your potential chiropractor before undergoing treatment and be sure he or she understands Fibromyalgia, and find out if he or she has treated other people with FM. Chiropractors who specialize in the treatment of fibromyalgia are more likely to obtain the results you are looking for due to their experience with this complex disorder.

The Studies

In 1985, renowned fibromyalgia researcher Dr. Frederick Wolfe, et al, administered a structured questionnaire to 81 FM patients and 81 control subjects. They found that patients benefit more from lifestyle modifications, like rest and relaxation, than from other interventions. "Chiropractic treatment also scored among the most effective measures," he wrote.

In a study from a private chiropractic practice in Quebec, Canada, FM patients undertook 30 treatments combining ischemic compression and spinal manipulation. At the midway point, participants reported a significant lessening of pain and an improvement in quality of sleep and fatigue level. After 30 treatments, respondents showed an average lessening of 77.2 in pain intensity, improvement of 63.5 in sleep quality, and improvement of 74.8 in fatigue level.

A pilot study also from Canada (Ontario) found that spinal manipulation, soft tissue therapy, and passive stretching improved patients' cervical and lumbar ranges of motion, straight leg raise, and reported pain levels. The investigators concluded that further study with a larger sample size could better determine if these results are applicable to FM patients on the whole.

So: to get manipulated, or not to get manipulated? According to researchers, chiropractic manipulation can be helpful for people with FM. Weigh your options, and maybe you'll find that chiropractic is something you'd like to try.