Fibromyalgia pressure points

Hi Jennifer. I am trying to get some more information on pressure points and fibro. Are these certain pressure points in the body that can be used to ease pain? Is this what is done with natural methods like things like acupuncture? Thanks for your help.

Hello,

You may be confusing fibromyalgia pressure points with areas of the body targeted by accupuncture to ease the pain of various conditions, including fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a condition that is characterized by widespread pain that is muscular in origin. This muscle pain is only one of the symptoms of fibromyalgia, but is the most prominent. Doctors diagnose fibromyalgia by assessing pressure or tender points, or areas of the body that are painful when palpated. Experts have distinguished 18 different pressure points that can be affected by fibromyalgia; a positive diagnosis of fibromyalgia is made when 11 or more out of these 18 pressure points are painful when palpated.Some experts believe that less than 11 tender points does not exclude the diagnosis of fibromyalgia if there are other symptoms present, such as chronic headaches, sleep disturbance or overwhelming fatigue. In addition, pain must be present in all four body quadrants and must be present for at least three months continuously.

Accupuncture points are specific areas of the body that are targeted by accupuncture to relieve symptoms. The important thing to remember is that the accupuncture point targeted does not necessarily have to correspond to the area causing discomfort.

One of the theories behind accupuncture to treat fibromyalgia is that accupuncture can ease fibromyalgia pain by raising the pain threshold of the person being treated. Altered pain perception is thought to be at the heart of fibromyalgia, and this may be why some people find relief of fibromyalgia pain using accupuncture.

I hope this answers your question!