I've read where some therapies fro Fibro include exersise. Well I did do some exersise Wednesday and Thursdayas in caring lumber for a new deck. I also did about 10 minutes on a treadmill. Yesterday I could barely move. Today is Saturday and I'm still in severe pain. My knees are killing me and my body is aching all over. I have taken three Advills and two 50mg Tramadol to stop the pain. I have tried exersise in the past with the same results. I am in so much pain afterwards, I can not do ti. I have given it a chance in the past to no avail.
Most therapeutic exercise regimens I've encountered for fibro are carefully graduated -- start slow & gradually rebuild your tolerance, with lots of gentle warming up & cooling down. You seem to have experienced what many of us have -- that just jumping in to do heavy physical chores & exercise can set you back a spell.
Many people who are middle-aged will find themselves sore, needing motrin, etc. after spending 2 days hauling deck lumber! With fibro, the painful afterglow can last weeks or months instead of days, and be much more severe.
The idea for starting into exercise is to go slow. Like 2 minutes on the treadmill, slow speed, no elevation. If after several days you are OK, increase to 3 min. And so forth.
I am sorry to hear you are in such pain, and I do sympathize because I have done similar stuff & paid the price. Comfort measures (not cures) that have helped me get through these spells are Epsom salts soaks in a warm tub (the magnesium is impt for muscle function & pain) and moist-heat paks. I have a MH pak that heats up in the microwave -- absorbs moisture from the air -- and gives quick relief to excruciating spasms. Best $20 I ever spent at Rite Aid!
If you are inclined to try supplements, I've found that malic acid is helpful when there is overexertion pain. It helps your body clear out lactic acid from the muscles, a process that can be sluggish in fibro.
rstarre, sounds like you did what I use to do in my past. Doing so much all at once is a recipe for pain. I agree with what elmhar says, taking it slow and building up is the only way. For instance I know when I can get back to exercise class (hopefully in June) I will need to use the lightest weights to start and just do what I can and not push myself. I will stop if I need to and wait for the class to finish and then move onto the next exercise and again if I need to stop I will. The point is to get those muscles and tendons stretched and limber but do it slow.
I also use a treadmill and I start out slow for the first few minutes and let myself build up to a faster pace and the incline. Somedays I don't use the incline and somedays I only walk on the treadmill for just a few minutes. I let my body tell me if it is a day for walking or not.
