Osteoarthritis is the most common musculoskeletal disorder, followed by FM. More frequent than not, FM is misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Features of this condition/disorder include joint and muscle tingling, pain, fatigue, and many other symptoms.
Usually, people who have FM also experience depression and social isolation. Many also experience both FM and swelling. FM quite challenging to diagnose. The main reason for this is because the symptoms of FM are usually in line with the symptoms of other diseases, which leads to the individual being misdiagnosed.
One of the most basic symptoms of FM is inflammation and swelling. Due to this FM swelling, it can sometimes be mixed up with arthritis. This is because of the fact that both arthritis and fibromyalgia affect the joints.
Many people with fibromyalgia experience a painful fibromyalgia swelling. Their limbs and joints become painful and inflamed, which makes daily life difficult. But what causes the swelling? And can dietary supplements help you with your symptoms? With excess fluid their limbs become swollen, and they find that things like walking or using their hands, are complex due to pain. Basic daily errands are also hard to perform. Thus fibromyalgia swelling is certainly something that can decrease your quality of life. But what causes the swelling? Is fibromyalgia swelling can be reduced by any dietary supplements?
What is fibromyalgia swelling?
Fluid being released by the blood vessels in your body contributes to fibromyalgia swelling, usually as a result of a wound. Your limbs or joints swell up due to fluid buildup underneath the skin. No one knows exactly why this happens to people with fibromyalgia. But there are a few theories.
First theory is that the swelling is in fact inflammation caused by the body’s immune system overreacting and violent against your tissue. This is due to the fact that fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disease according to some scientists. There’s no concrete proof of this theory, though the fact that things like stress sometimes trigger swelling imply that there may be truth to it. There are things either way that you can do that will assist in limiting fibromyalgia swelling.
What causes fibromyalgia swelling?
Sometimes people with fibromyalgia hit upon that their hands, feet or other parts of their body abruptly start swelling. Fluid from blood vessels leak into your body and then it is retained by your cells and hence cause swelling or edema. With fluid under the skin the afflicted area then swells up. Usually, this is caused by injury, but in people with fibromyalgia, it can also be triggered by stress.
The swelling is in fact inflammation, believed by some doctors, which is when your body’s immune system attacks its own tissue and causes it to swell up. It would support the thought that fibromyalgia is actually an autoimmune disease if this is the case in reality. In autoimmune disease your body’s immune system begins attacking your healthy cells by fault. Either way, there are things you can do to reduce your fibromyalgia swelling, starting with dietary supplements.
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Some Supplements for Fibromyalgia Swelling
Iron
Iron is another vitamin that helps promote good cardiovascular health. It is a very important constituent in the creation of red blood cells and receiving a good iron supplement can facilitate your body to naturally produce better red blood cells that bring nutrients to injured joints and muscles. And that means a natural reduction in swelling. You can find it in leafy greens like kale or spinach and it is a great addition to your diet when you are trying to limit swelling.
Vitamin B
Vitamin B normally exists in red meat, meaning that people who are vegetarians will often suffer from vitamin B deficiencies. And vitamin B plays a significant role in the regulation of your body’s circulatory system as it regulates nerves and blood cell creation. So a healthy level of vitamin B will help your body naturally fight swelling in the limbs by creating the blood cells to carry the fluid away from the area.
Potassium
Just about everything in your body is regulated by potassium. Increasing your levels of potassium will help you get rid of painful swelling. Potassium is what is known as an electrolyte, and it plays a role in moving fluid around the cells in your body. Absence of potassium makes it hard for your body to move water from swollen tissue to healthy tissue. This will make your body to preserve more fluids in your joints and muscles naturally. It’s found in many different kinds of fruits and vegetables like apricots, bananas, and broccoli.
Stinging Nettle
Natural anti-inflammatory properties are in stinging nettle. Minute spines that release painful chemicals when touched are a feature of this plant. The natural chemicals in the stinging nettle decrease inflammation and swelling when used as a supplement. To decrease the pain and inflammation you experience you can also use a compound of stinging nettle directly on the skin. Against the area that is swollen stinging spines are placed, and after a short lived feeling of pain, the chemicals the stingers release in fact make the area insensitive. It’s an effective way to treat a painful limb without using drugs if you’re interested in alternative treatments. And it’s also a great supplement for fibromyalgia swelling.
Eat More Fish and Less Red Meat
Fish is a healthy source of nutrients, especially when compared to red meat. It is full of Omega 3 fatty acids which can help promote good joint health and reduce swelling. Oily fish like salmon or mackerel can provide it to you, or a high-quality supplement can also be a good provider. On the other hand, red meat is full of a compound called Neu5GC. Until a genetic mutation a few hundred thousand years ago eliminated it, Humans used to produce Neu5GC in their own cells. That’s different from most animals that still produce it naturally in their bodies.
Thus, red meat naturally has a high concentration of it. Doctors have suggested that the presence of this compound causes inflammation. That’s because your body doesn’t recognize it as a nutrient and reacts as if it were a foreign threat. So the body’s immune response is triggered by it, which leads to inflammation.
Until more research is done that isn’t a certain thing, but it does seem like there is a clear-cut connection between diets high in red meat and levels of swelling. A close relationship is shared by diet and fibromyalgia. And you can reduce a lot of swelling by maintaining a healthy diet. You can help prevent the painful swelling by limiting the amount of things you eat that encourage swelling in the body.
Tips for Mild swelling
- Rest and protect a sore area. Stop, change, or take a break from any activity that may be causing your pain or soreness.
- Elevate the injured or sore area on pillows while applying ice and any time you are sitting or lying down. Try to keep the area at or above the level of your heart to help minimize swelling.
- Avoid sitting or standing without moving for prolonged periods of time. Exercising the legs decreases the effect of gravity, so swelling goes down.
- A low-sodium diet may help reduce swelling.
- Drink plenty of fluids to help prevent swelling caused by dehydration.
- Keep your skin cool in hot environments.
Swelling Prevention
The following tips may help prevent swelling.
- Do not sit with your feet hanging down for long periods of time. Elevate your feet whenever possible. If you take a car trip, stop and walk around every 1 to 2 hours. If you are traveling in an airplane, be sure to get up and walk around every 1 to 2 hours.
- Limit the amount of salt in your diet.
- Exercise regularly. Warm up and stretch before exercising.
- Drink plenty of fluids, and keep your skin cool in hot environments.
- Avoid repetitive motions, or take frequent breaks often to rest a body area.
- Take medicines as instructed. If swelling occurs often, discuss with your doctor whether taking your medicine at another time of day would decrease the swelling.
- Do not smoke cigarettes or use other tobacco products. They increase circulation problems.
If you have a chronic medical condition or are pregnant, follow your doctor’s instructions on how to prevent swelling and when to call to report your symptoms.
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References:
- Systematic Inflammation in Fibromyalgia by MG Rana,MD via Fibromyalgia Resources
- Using supplements to reduce fibromyalgia swelling and Diet and fibromyalgia Swelling by Wyatt Redd via Fibromyalgia Treating
- How to control swelling in fibromyalgia by M Ghous Rana,MD via FibromyalgiaResources.com
- Omega-3 for fibromyalgia via Fibromyalgiaresources.com