Chronic pain
Pain that persists well beyond normal healing time — often driven by how the nervous system processes signals, as in fibromyalgia.
Behavioral approaches that help
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and pain education — learning how pain signaling works — show clinically meaningful improvements in pain intensity and daily function for roughly a third to half of people with fibromyalgia-type chronic pain. Part of the benefit comes from reducing kinesiophobia: fear of movement that ends up limiting activity more than the pain itself requires.
Physical approaches
- Slow, controlled movement — deep stretching and strength work that emphasizes whole muscle groups rather than sudden, ballistic motion.
- Aquatic therapy, which lets you move more without the sensation of being weighed down — often less fatiguing than land-based exercise.
- Alternating heat and cold: heat increases blood flow and relaxes muscles, easing stiffness; cold can calm acute flare-ups.
A multidisciplinary approach
The strongest results tend to come from combining medical treatment, physical therapy, lifestyle changes, and mental health support rather than relying on any single approach. In 2025 the FDA approved a bedtime sublingual cyclobenzaprine tablet specifically for fibromyalgia, targeting the poor sleep that often drives next-day pain — a reminder that this field is still actively evolving, and it's worth discussing current options with your doctor.
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