Fibromyalgia & Starting Strength

[Roozbeh Roozbeh Roozbeh]

Hello!

I've been following SS for about a year. I only just joined the forums. First I'd like to thank you for the book. It's helped me get over several injuries and achieve goals I really did not think I could ever get to.

My questions I regarding fibromyalgia. My mother is suffering from it. She has recently retired and I want to get her to begin lifting under the guide of SS. However, she is concerned with her fibromyalgia causing issues. I was wonder if you have ever experienced this with anyone you have trained or have any advice on managing the pain/disease.

Many Thanks,
Rooz

[SteveL]

Hello!

I've been following SS for about a year. I only just joined the forums. First I'd like to thank you for the book. It's helped me get over several injuries and achieve goals I really did not think I could ever get to.

My questions I regarding fibromyalgia. My mother is suffering from it. She has recently retired and I want to get her to begin lifting under the guide of SS. However, she is concerned with her fibromyalgia causing issues. I was wonder if you have ever experienced this with anyone you have trained or have any advice on managing the pain/disease.

Many Thanks,
Rooz

I can't comment on the strength training but have her read Gundry's book and adapt her diet. I've read of quite a few people and know one who has overcome fibromyalgia with a very strict diet.

Dr. Gundry

[Brodie Butland]

My mother in her 60s experienced significant abatement (she reported around 90%) of fibromyalgia symptoms after weight training for a few months.

Not saying that this will necessarily be true of your mother...I'm not a doctor and don't play one on TV. But there is precedent for it working.

[Will Morris]

My mother in her 60s experienced significant abatement (she reported around 90%) of fibromyalgia symptoms after weight training for a few months.

Not saying that this will necessarily be true of your mother...I'm not a doctor and don't play one on TV. But there is precedent for it working.

I am not a physician, however, I am a physical therapist who has quite a lot of experience working with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Syndrome. Most of the scientific evidence regarding these conditions point towards exercise, specifically regular moderate intensity cardiovascular training and resistance training as being the most beneficial treatment option to this population. It's outside the scope of this post, however, strength training should play a large role in her recovery from this condition. As Brodie stated, individuals with FM or CPS tend to do very well with strength training, but getting them to the point where they will allow themselves to conduct this type of training is oftentimes very difficult.

[Roozbeh Roozbeh Roozbeh]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I am in the process of getting her up and running. She's in her late 60's. The inertia is hard to overcome at the start. She has recently stopped taking medication for it(celebrex) so the pain is more noticeable right now.

[David A. Rowe]

My mother suffers from "fibromyalgia," but simply visiting a qualified and good massage therapist has brought her pain level down from an 8 to a 3, and a lot of her neuropathies are clearing up. She's been going for all of 8 weeks, and once a week. Now: imagine what would happen to her pain levels if she applied progressive loading and achieved a solid rate of adaptation is manual external manipulation provided that much benefit. Imagine what would happen if both were performed together.