Massage therapy and alleviating symptoms of Fibromyalgia

(PLEASE NOTE: If you aren’t diagnosed but a lot of this sounds familiar to your own experience, please see your primary care physician.)

If you’re over 40, you might remember a time when fibromyalgia was, to say the least, not taken seriously. Many physicians saw it as what they would (sadly) call a “wastebasket” diagnosis – a sort of dumping ground for patients who complained but nothing could be found.

Thank goodness we now know better. We’re even getting closer to understanding a possible underlying cause of this seemingly unrelated cluster of symptoms. New studies are suggesting that the nervous systems of patients are “extra excitable” and therefore process pain, let’s say, more loudly than a typical nervous system.

Regardless, now that we know better and are learning, we can do better for everyone who is suffering. With a combination of treatments, people with fibromyalgia don’t have to suffer alone and silent any more.

That combination of treatments can, of course, include massage therapy. The main symptoms of fibromyalgia also happen to be things with which massage therapy is extra good at helping.

Pain

The pain of fibromyalgia is complex and widespread and can be debilitating during a flare. The pain can be all over the body with trigger points or tender spots where it’s extra intense. (Which used to be one of the main ways it was diagnosed – by mapping these trigger points.)

The pain can be stabbing and shooting but also deep muscular pain. There can also be numbness, tingling, and burning.

It can be aggravated by too much or too little activity, too little sleep, stress, anxiety, and cold/humid weather. 

Fatigue, Sleep Problems, and More

Not only can you suffer from full body and brain fatigue that interrupts your capacity to do or enjoy anything, you then can also suffer from the inability to get good and restful sleep.

And of course, lack of good sleep then can add to the pain symptoms.

On top of all of this, there are other possible symptoms and overlapping conditions that tend to be seen with a fibromyalgia diagnosis, including irritable bowel and bladder, migraines, restless legs syndrome, impaired memory, dizziness, and impaired coordination.

Massage Therapy can help

Fibromyalgia is a condition that can’t be cured but can be managed and massage therapy can be an important and effective part of your treatment approach.

Regular massage therapy appointments can keep some of the pain at bay and help with the stress and possible sleep problems.

Depending on where you’re at when you have your appointment, the type of massage that would be best can fluctuate, so it’s extra important that you talk openly with your therapist each time you see them.

For example, if you’re in the midst of a particularly bad pain flair, intense massage might make that pain worse but a massage focused on relaxation can relieve some of the tension around the pain.

If you aren’t having intense pain but your sleep is way off, a deeper therapeutic massage might be in order.

Massage therapy isn’t just one approach and there are a lot of add ons – like aromatherapy, hot towels, therapeutic creams – that can increase the massage’s effectiveness.

The point is that massage therapy is a flexible tool that can be shaped to your current needs.