Fibromyalgia (FM) is a very common, chronic condition where the patient describes “widespread pain” in many areas of the body. Therefore, when addressing exercises for FM, one must consider the whole body. The most important exercise to consider is a full-body squat.
If you think about it, we’re squatting every time we sit down. We also come from a squatting position when we stand up, get in/out of our car, and in/out of bed. Climbing and descending steps result in a squat-lunge type of movement.
The problem with squatting is that we frequently lose/misuse the proper way to do this exercise. When we’re in pain, the pain forces us to compensate. Compensation causes people to develop faulty movement patterns that can irritate their ankles, knees, hips, and spine. Performing a squat properly will strengthen the hips. Strengthening the hips will help protect the spine and it also strengthens the gluteal muscles. The gluteal muscles can help you perform all the daily activities mentioned above.
The best type of squat is the full-body squat. Start this exercise by bending the ankles, knees, and hips while keeping a curve in the low back. It’s accomplished by “…sticking the butt out” during the squat.
Don’t allow the knees to drift beyond your toes. When your knees drift beyond your toes, it creates discomfort. If you notice a cracking sound coming from your knees, it can be ignored IF it’s not accompanied by pain. If you are experiencing pain, try moving the foot of the painful knee about six inches (~15 cm) ahead of the other, and don’t squat as far down. Move within reason and stay away from positions that reproduce sharp, lancinating pain that lingers upon completion.
There are a ton of exercises that help FM, but this one is particularly important.
