How To MakeHow To Make AnHow To PaintWe're sorry, this page isn't available right now.Please check back again soon. In the meantime, please use the links below to find popular pages. What it is: This therapeutic self-massager helps you apply pressure to trigger points, knotted muscle fibers that can increase chronic pain. Why it helps: The oddly shaped device, which resembles a wide cane with short, ball-capped branches, allows you to reach trigger points anywhere on your body. “A trigger point is an area of hyperirritability in a muscle, common in people with fibromyalgia,” Guenthner says. “You can push the little balls on the trigger point and hold the pressure for 30-90 seconds until you feel the tension release.” What it is: A regular handball, which you can buy in a sporting-goods store, provides another easy way to apply pressure to painful muscle aches. Why it helps: It’s portable and convenient. Guenthner suggests lying down, placing the ball under an irritable spot, and use your body weight to apply pressure for 30-90 seconds, until you feel the trigger point release.

3. Moist heating pad What it is: A pad that relaxes your muscle aches with soothing heat. Moist heating pads come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including rectangular ones for your back or oblong wraps for neck and shoulders. You can also get moist wraps for knees, ankles and elbows, and moist booties and mittens for aching feet and hands. Electric versions heat automatically; non-electric pads have sponge liners that you wet and then heat in a microwave. Why it helps: “Heat relaxes muscles, and moisture reduces the skin’s natural resistance to [absorbing] heat,” says Scott Glaser, M.D., an interventional pain physician in Chicago. “If you overuse heat, you can have permanent discoloration from increased blood flow to the skin,” Dr. Glaser says. Apply the pad to a painful spot on low heat for no more than 20 minutes at a time. Using these pads can be helpful before stretching painful muscles, observes Shannon Rock, an occupational therapist at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

“Moist heat increases blood flow to the area, which helps prepare the tissue for stretching,” she says. What it is: Another form of temperature therapy. Like heating pads, ice pads come in many shapes, including rectangles, cervical collars and shoulder, leg and foot wraps. Why it helps: “Ice is a great aid in controlling fibromyalgia pain in a localized area,” Dr. Glaser says. “Homes For Sale Greenville Sc Pebble CreekThe signals of cold from your temperature receptors crowd out pain signals.”Pets For Sale In Luray Va Apply ice for no more than 20-30 minutes at a stretch, several times a day.Cheap Tyres Welshpool Try it: Elasto-Gel Cervical Collar Wrap, www.icewraps.net What it is: Short for “transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation,” it’s a device that sends harmless electrical current to muscle aches.

Why it helps: “Sensations from the current crowd out input from the pain nerves,” Dr. Glaser says. A physical therapist can recommend a home unit and teach you how to use it correctly. 6. Knee and head pillow What it is: Specially curved neck-support pillows and leg wedge pillows. Why it helps: If you’re lying on your side, placing a pillow between knees keeps legs separated and allows the spine to stay in a more neutral, comfortable position, Guenthner says. The same is true if you’re lying on your back and place a pillow under the knees. “It allows the joint to bend a little,” Guenthner says. “When the joint is fully extended, it puts more pressure on the joint and muscles, which increases pain.” Try it: Knee Lift Pillow; Better Neck Adjustable Memory Foam Cervical Pillow; While specialty pillows may be more comfortable, you can use any bed pillow, Guenthner says. 7. Lumbar support pillow What it is: A pillow that supports your lower back when you sit.

Why it helps: “It keeps you in good spinal alignment [when you’re seated], so your back isn't too bent or arched, and your shoulders are directly over your hips,” Guenthner says. “If you slump, you put more strain on your muscles and body, which adds to muscle irritation.” What it is: A gel keyboard pad that supports the wrists. Why it helps: If you’ve got fibromyalgia, even your wrist and arm muscles can hurt. “Fibromyalgia patients have a higher rate of carpel tunnel syndrome,” a painful nerve condition involving tingling and numbness in the hands and wrist, usually the result of repetitive movements, says Dr. Glaser. “A gel keyboard pad is a pain management tool that keeps wrists in a neutral position, which rests the muscles and tendons in the forearm [that extend] to the hand,” occupational therapist Rock says. 9. Lumbar support belt What it is: A wide belt that stabilizes the spine. Why it helps: It helps control pain by improving posture, protecting your back, and allowing knees and hips to do most of the work when lifting something.

These belts can reduce back pain and chronic fatigue in people with fibromyalgia, Dr. Glaser says. But he advises wearing one no more than half the time you’re active to prevent spine muscles from weakening. What it is: A plastic bench with an arm handle and back that allows you to sit in the shower. Why it helps: “People with fibromyalgia have chronic fatigue and muscle aches,” Rock says. “A shower bench [conserves] energy. If you have back or leg pain, it helps to be sitting rather than standing.” 11. Elevated toilet seat What it is: This seat clamps onto your regular toilet seat, lifting you about 6 inches higher than normal. Some models also have arms you can hold on to. Why it helps: The raised seat saves energy if you have pain in your legs. “It definitely makes it easier to get up and down,” Guenthner says. Try it: Medline Locking Elevated Toilet Seat With Arms, Medline What it is: This strange-looking contraption makes it easy to put on socks without bending over.

You slip a sock over it, put your foot inside and pull on the long straps. Why it helps: “By using it, you prevent lumbar or hand strain,” Guenthner says. 13. Automatic can opener What it is: This egg-shaped beauty is fully automated – you don’t even have to hold the can. You place the gadget on a can, press a button, and the can opens. A magnet on the bottom lifts up the can’s lid. Why it helps: “Any electric device – food choppers, jar openers, knives – helps protect the joints and conserve energy,” Rock says. Try it: One Touch Can Opener 14. Long-handled dustpan and broom What it is: A lightweight dustpan and broom with oversize handles. Why it helps: These long tools help control pain by allowing you to clean up a spill without squatting or bending over. For more information, visit our Fibromyalgia Health Center. How Much Do You Know About Fibromyalgia?Described by Hippocrates in ancient Greece, fibromyalgia is one of the world’s oldest medical mysteries.

The disease – a complex illness marked by chronic muscle, tendon and ligament pain, fatigue and multiple tender points on the body – affects about 2% percent of Americans, most of them women. How much do you know about fibromyalgia? Get more healthy food for thought – check out our posts on Health Bistro and Lifescript TV videos on YouTube. Plus, join the fun and conversation on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. The information contained on (the "Site") is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for advice from your doctor or health-care professional. This information should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Always seek the advice of a qualified health-care professional regarding any medical condition. Information and statements provided by the site about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.