Working with Fibromyalgia
Over the years, I have worked with many many people who have suffered with chronic pain and disease, including autoimmune diseases and fibromyalgia. I haven’t talked about it much, but want to dive into fibromyalgia specifically today!
Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. (Mayo Clinic)
Oftentimes, fibromyalgia is diagnosed after a slew of other diseases have not been the diagnoses. It can be extremely frustrating to deal with, as the pain is widespread and constant. Women also generally have fibromyalgia much more often than men.
In my practice of massage over the past eight years, I have worked with dozens of women who have fibromyalgia. It’s very intriguing, because I have had some clients who have had a lot of relief between sessions and others who do not have long term relief at all. They might have a day or two, but then the pain usually comes back. This leads me to believe that what you are doing at home in terms of eating well (whole, nutrition dense foods), exercising and other stress reducing activities also play a large role in how you’ll feel when you have fibromyalgia.
In my opinion, if you are taking care of yourself at home, effects of massage will also last a lot longer. It can be overwhelming to change your life, but small consistent steps are key! Give yourself lots of grace and love and take consistent steps, and you will notice big changes in a couple of years! I know it sounds daunting, but you can do it!
I do find it very interesting that many of the pain points are exactly where Trigger Points also reside. I sometimes wonder, if you had consistent care once a week for awhile, nourished your body well and reduced stress (stress causes soo much-that’ll have to be for another time), how much pain could one release? If you have fibromyalgia, maybe this is something to consider! I do not pretend to have all the answers, or know what fibromyalgia feels like, but I do know that many many diseases are helped tremendously this way.
As far as an actual session goes, I communicate a lot with those who have fibromyalgia. I don’t want you to rebound with more pain than you came in with, so I start slow and make sure your body can take the pressure. Each case is unique, but oftentimes, after a couple of sessions, I can usually get pretty deep and work like I would with anyone else. I listen to what you tell me and what your body is communicating as well. If there is an area that is feeling worse than others, we can definitely focus there, or if you feel relaxation is best for your body, we can do that too. Or a combination of the two! We are flexible and want to make sure you are getting the care you need. And as with anyone, it is very important to drink lots of water after a session to make sure anything that is released is getting flushed out, helping healing.
Massage is definitely safe for those who have fibromyalgia and we would love to be apart of your care team! If you or someone you know may be interested in this, don’t hesitate to book a session or email us with any questions. We know how frustrating pain is!
xo,
Nikki
