Some natural treatments include stretching, massage and light aerobic exercise. Strenuous exercise, however, is not recommended since it can bring on flares. Tai Chi, with its slow movements, can be beneficial to fibromyalgia patients. In order to get a good night's sleep, many patients take muscle relaxants and tricyclic antidepressants, which also help relieve the depression that often plagues sufferers, said Dr. Szczesny. It is important that they stay in the mainstream and remain socially connected because sometimes they get depressed and shut themselves off.
Total inactivity is just as bad for fibromyalgia patients as too much activity.
Although the medical community has become more informed about fibromyalgia, some patients still have a difficult time finding doctors who are knowledgeable enough about the condition to treat them effectively, said Ganley. When she was having problems with her knee, she went to a doctor who told her, without examining her, that because she was a fibromyalgia patient there was nothing he could do for her. The next doctor, who examined her knee, told her it was dislocated. What works well with one patient may not work at all with others and what works this time may not the next. Our system is not very good at dealing with it.