fibromyalgia

[cmarotta87]

Hello, I'm new to this site and to massage therapy. I'm currently in school and have just gotten my table for completing 3 months. My mother has a crazy medical history. She has had several spinal fusions because of degenerative disc disease and also a history of fibromyalgia. I talked with her and her doctor and he said that she would benefit from massage more than she would benefit from physical therapy. I was wondering if anyone could give me any techniques or anything that has helped clients with fibromyalgia ease some of their pain. I would really appreciate it!

[pueppi]

I recently did some research on Bowen Technique. According to my research (I only spent about 8 hours, so I don't know much), it seems to be effective (or at least useful) in fbromyalgia clients.

[JasonE]

Start with basic relaxation massage. Helping her relax is a good way to reduce all kinds of discomfort, or at least make them easier to tolerate.

[athletica]

For what its worth I have worked on many fibromyalgia patients. I have no advanced training in the area, nor do I have the desire to further my education in the area. Take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

1) Perform a thorough intake. Your mom will tell you the areas that tend to act up. Be careful not to over work these areas.

2) I remember in school we were told to be weary of pressure with fibromyalgia patients. Almost every client I have responds well to deep pressure. With that said I am always light the first session to see how the individual responds. Those patients that have had massage before always request deep tissue work. Broad pressure (palms, forearms and fists) seems to be okay. In my experience its more specific work that can irriatate symptoms.

3) Temp sensitivity is a common symptom. Make sure room is optimal temp. And your careful with use of heat pads and ice.

[JasonE]

Here's an article on Fibromyalgia that may help you better understand the condition and how to work with it:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 8-0061.pdf - Read the WHOLE article.

Note these paragraphs on page 6:

Physical Therapy Modalities-Heat, stretching,
massage, meditation, body work, can all be
used to maintain the functional ability of a
person with fibromyalgia. It does not help in
curing the condition or alleviate the return of
symptoms. The goal of these treatments is to
minimize fatigue and maintain functional ability.

Manipulation-People with fibromyalgia both
subjectively and objectively have been shown to
benefit from manipulation.32 Counterstrain is
the technique of choice. Specific goals need to
be set. In my practice if, after an initial weekly
treatment for three weeks, the positive response
does not last at least two weeks, I discontinue
manipulation. Almost all patients feel
better for some short period of time ranging
from 3 hours to 3 days. If the response does not
last, then the effect is not alleviating the underlying
pathology of the disorder.