My fibromyalgia story starts at the end of my first year of medical school. I was doing crunches at the gym when I felt a muscle in the front of my neck rip, causing intense pain. But I had injured other muscles before, and I figured it would heal quickly. But as days turned to weeks, it didn’t. My neck constantly burned and felt like it could no longer hold up the weight of my head. The pain progressed to my upper back—an ache between my shoulder blades that would not go away. My spine hurt, my skin hurt, everything hurt.
Nothing I tried gave me any pain relief until I found myofascial release therapy (MFR). This technique involves slow, prolonged stretching that targets restrictions in the fascia, the connective tissue around the muscle. After just a few sessions I experienced dramatic pain reduction in my arms and neck.
My own pain relief with myofascial release convinced me that the fascia must play a major role in causing fibromyalgia pain. My conviction is driven by an intuitive sense that the myofascial tissue is abnormal in fibromyalgia, because I can feel it in my own body. In this library I present all the scientific supporting evidence that I have gathered over the past 25 years, united together in my Fibromyalgia Chain Reaction Hypothesis.
At this point you may be wondering if I have any business throwing out scientific theories and writing research papers, since my career has mostly been spent doing fibromyalgia clinical care and I don't have a PhD. Here are my "research creds" so to speak: I worked for several years as an associate professor in the Rheumatology Dept. at Oregon Health and Science University. There I was the recipient of a Gerlinger Foundation Research Award to conduct a study comparing myofascial release therapy to standard massage (spoiler alert, MFR was more effective!) I’ve published several peer-reviewed articles about fibromyalgia and presented at dozens of academic conferences. But honestly my most important research credential is having fibromyalgia myself, which has enabled me to study it from the inside.
I am a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine, board certified in internal medicine, and in 2011 founded one of the first specialty clinics devoted exclusively to treatment of fibromyalgia. I have also read literally thousands of research papers about fibromyalgia. (Seriously it is what I do for fun in my spare time! Definitely a true science geek.) I am driven by a determination to figure out fibromyalgia in my lifetime. All of us dealing with this illness have waited long enough. Only by truly understanding it scientifically will we get anything close to a cure.
Learn more about me here:
This mission is a big one, and I can't do it alone. Any support is deeply appreciated. Here are some ways you can help.
- subscribe to my free email newsletter Fibromyalgia News from Dr. Ginevra
- buy a copy of my book which is available on amazon.com in print form, on kindle and now as an audiobook!
- if you find a post on this site interesting or useful, share it on social media or via email. I am not good at that part of things so I need your help, thank you!
- watch The Fibro Show on Youtube
- send some positive Fibrolove vibes my way
I often get asked if I feel my fibromyalgia has been cured or in remission. My answer is no, but on most days I feel about 70% better than in the early days of fibromyalgia. Most folks with fibromyalgia are not expecting a 'cure'. But dramatically lowering pain and fatigue levels can feel miraculous. If you are living at a pain volume of 7 (on a 10 point scale) and can turn down to 2, it can be life-changing.
I do have to be vigilant in self-care. I still experience flares and bad days. But I am so grateful to be able to work and live life while trying to help as many other people with fibromyalgia as possible. That is what I am hoping to do with this library, and in my books and videos.
Watch the Fibro Show which I co-host with Sharon Waldrop, a board certified health and wellness coach. It's part Vlog, part Webinar, part Talk Show, and all Fibrolove.