Massage & Fibromyalgia Pain

How Massage Can Help

Has Fibromyalgia robbed you of your energy and vitality? Do achy muscles and pain cramp your style? Would you like to have less stress in your life? If your answer to any or all of these questions is a resounding “YES!”, then you should have massage regularly.

Experts believe that stress accounts for 80-90% of all disease. Even when it is not the direct cause, it aggravates health challenges, making it harder to maintain well-being. People with Fibromyalgia tend to be stressed out over-doers. Receiving massage on a regular basis reduces stress and pain, and helps the body function in a more harmonious way.

Massage therapists, or 'body workers', as they are also called, apply a wide variety of techniques to aid the muscles and other soft tissues of the body. They use rubbing, kneading, percussion, and stretching, to name but a few.

Some people believe that a massage is simply pampering that feels wonderful, but there are numerous reasons why having routine massage is a good idea. Fibromyalgia and many chronic conditions, such as arthritis, bursitis, low back pain, diabetes, high blood pressure and fatigue respond well to massage.

The body under stress is in a state of 'fight or flight'. In other words, the system reacts as if there were imminent danger. Breathing is shallow, the heart is working overtime, and the repair and restore functions of the body are put on hold.

Fibromyalgia Pain

Sleep patterns are disturbed by the pain. Stress and pain are locked in an unending cycle, each making the other worse.

Massage is one way to break the vicious circle.

Massage puts the body into a 'rest and digest' response that allows it to repair and renew itself, digest food, and absorb nutrients. Breathing becomes deep. Heart rate slows. Pain decreases. Anxiety loses its hold.

How Does Massage Therapy Work?

Massage therapy can really reduce the pain, stiffness, and tender points caused by Fibromyalgia syndrome. However, how does it manage to do this? Well, no one is 100% sure on how massage actually reduces pain, but it may have something to do with the central nervous system.

It is theorised that massage therapy actually enhances the production of certain pain blockers, including endorphins, serotonin, and norepinephrine. These hormones work to counteract pain signals conducted by the brain, and this would explain why massage offers such dramatic pain relief.

Benefits of Massage Therapy for Fibromyalgia Sufferers

Massage therapy is actually one of the most beneficial treatments for Fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. In fact, in a survey completed by Fibromyalgia sufferers, massage therapy was rated the best Fibromyalgia treatment option by an overwhelming margin. Massage therapy benefits include:

• increased blood circulation to the muscles, allowing for faster muscle repair;
• increased flexibility;
• increased range of motion;
• decreased stress and depression;
• reduced pain;
• reduced stiffness;
• improved sleep patterns.

In a 1996 study, Fibromyalgia sufferers reported a 38% decrease in pain symptoms after receiving just ten, 30-minute massage sessions. They also reported a significant decrease in their sleep difficulties: they began sleeping for longer periods at a time and were disturbed less by sleep disorders.

Although increased sensitivity to pain is the main symptom of Fibromyalgia, Fibromyalgia syndrome and other types of chronic pain diseases form a family of overlapping syndromes. Therefore, even though the most common symptoms are pain and fatigue in muscles and tendons, often it is seen that those suffering from Fibromyalgia will have other associated conditions and symptoms. It is because of these overlapping symptoms that Fibromyalgia cam to be categorised as a syndrome rather than a disease.

This list of major symptoms of Fibromyalgia is for your reference only and it is not intended to diagnose Fibromyalgia, which should be left to a doctor familiar with the disorder. It is important that you seek an informed professional before jumping to conclusions regarding your condition. Not all these Fibromyalgia symptoms will apply to all patients.

Massage therapy has been observed to be helpful in some patients with Fibromyalgia.

This study was designed to examine the effects of massage therapy versus relaxation therapy on sleep, substance P, and pain in Fibromyalgia patients.

Twenty-four adult Fibromyalgia patients were assigned randomly to a massage therapy or relaxation therapy group. They received 30-minute treatments twice weekly for 5 weeks. Both groups showed a decrease in anxiety and depressed mood immediately after the first and last therapy sessions.

However, across the course of the study, only the massage therapy group reported an increase in the number of sleep hours and a decrease in their sleep movements. In addition, substance P levels decreased, and the patients' physicians assigned lower disease and pain ratings and rated fewer tender points in the massage therapy group.

Please Note:

Therapeutic massage does not treat, heal, prescribe or cure anything. It is complementary healthcare, not a substitute for a Medical Doctor.

Some conditions are “red flags” that prohibit massage, including phlebitis, some cancer, infectious disease, and some skin and certain cardiac conditions.

Your therapist should take a health history, but it is always best to consult your physician if you have any concerns. “Don’t wait until you feel like a train wreck before you come to see me.” I, like many therapists, offer a discount for those who come regularly; it makes the work more effective for you and easier on both of us.