Fibromyalgia

[A$!A]

Hello all,
Just would like some advice in treating a new client with fibromyalgia. Have read up and most seem to indicate 1, a relaxing massage and 2, working on trigger points within clients pain thresh hold.
See him in a week's time. Am I on the right track?
Live to Ride!

 

[Element]

Hi coolcyclist

Unfortunately every person you treat requires an individual treatment so it is hard to recommend what will work, you need to be there as you will appreciate when you start working on this person.

I generally start with slow light effleurage to get the fluids moving and the slowly move in with the deeper techniques as I find problems, each person has their own pain threshold so you have to keep seeing if they are ok as painful muscles are difficult to treat without some discomfort.

 

[rbee54]

the great majority of fibromyalgia/ME clients like strong massage which helps to relieve muscle pain for a sometimes. However, results are not very long lasting.

In a long run they benefit much more a relaxation massage. Whichever technique you try to keep treatments rather short - as too much work will put a lot of strain in their body and after effects of a too long massage can put them off.

It's essential that they regularly exercise - light exercises, without getting tired, and incorporating stretches. Teach them relaxations techniques - like proper breathing using the diaphgram.

Don't expect much improvement fast - you might consider keeping their mobility as a success.

 

[Cam156 nice guy]

Hi

I'm about to begin a Reflexology case study on a client with Fibromyalgia.

Maybe this should be under the topic of Reflexology but I'm wondering whether I should be offering her a massage too?!!

Wendy

 

[iant]

ME/fibromyalgia clients need massage therapy more than anybody else - and often become 'addicted' to it.

And if they like your reflexology - teach them the basic techniques so they can apply they as often as they need.

 

[AMG]

.Hi coolcyclist
as above approach your first session with extra care keeping the massage restricted to 20/30 mins of light to firm strokes and if easily tolorated you can build from there into longer deeper sessions.My own client can now take a full hour of deep tissue and trigger point work having built up to it over 15 sessions. The results am pleased to say have transformed her life in that she isnt bed bound for a week every 2 months as she used to be, and her thyriod problems have lessend as an added benifit.
This months edition of the American publication massage mag goes into detail of their approach to fibromyalgia.(always a good read ).
regards steve

 

[Nefsteexy]

Hi Steve,
Thank you very much for your comments. Will do as you suggest. The client is large and has had deep massage but that seemed to trigger aggro for several days. Was going to start with a shorter session and more gentler initially to see what he can tolerate.
Will let you know
Live to Ride

 

[Sagittarius]

I use a modified form of Chinese Tui na... which I see as massage, just as I see Swedish, Reflexology, or any other modality to be all part of the various familes of touch healing.
I haven't found anyone where accupressure didn't find some success. However some folks don't like it cause it isn't what they want or expect from massage...
What I do sometimes find is that when the points aren't clearing "as normal" this is usually also accompanied by "hypersensitivity" and what is commonly referred to as "physiology doesn't react as normal". Which when dealing with doctors and insurance is a polite way of stating, "I ain't gonna come out and say this client is faking, but something ain't right."
This isn't every fibro client, some clear quickly, and block just as quickly. Nor am I am saying the others are faking. They aren't, but neither is a child who makes themselves throw up when they don't want to go to school. The sickness relates to how their dealing with their issues. How they store them in their body.
I have many many fibro clients, who only get a flare up when needing to do something they don't want to do.... It's the stress you say. YES, but primarily the stresses of how they are choosing to proceed with their life.... If I hate mornings. Mornings are going to suck for me until I declare a war on my additude. I have to refuse to feel miserable when I wake up. I refuse to be nasty to other people and take it out on them, and I might have my own baggage holding over for years during this transition.
This is literally dis ease.

The chinese methodology actually discusses how various locations are the related to different emotional issues and how we store them. When I clear the points I get them to vent their emotional baggage, and I also tell them... I can get these places to feel better but it's you that decides whether to keep using them to store your stuff.
I agree with Londonmassage, Exercise is important. I work with alot of Physical Therapists, but what a PT really does is try to get them to want to be active, to feel better and participate in their own life....

Our western science would have us believe that because they can identify and classify a type of illness they know everything there is to know about it. Yet time and again I encounter clients of doctors who understood pathology, but not soft tissue. Strangely enough, this same science would have us believe we are basically just a cloud of energy with a little bit (if any) of matter, thrown in.... Yet, to approach it like that makes them uncomfortable and think your a hippie. Irony abounds.
What makes it so hard for people to believe that fibro, cancer, heart problems and the rest aren't emotional blockages in nature?
Truly,

M C Markman

 

[luvmy4boyz]

Hi Moebius

An interesting post and I agree with allot of what you have said, science unfortunately has not lead to a greater understanding of this sort of thing and our scientific based training does not really prepare us to deal with this sort of thing.

Thankfully most therapists care enough to go beyond our training and work with our intuition or seek out new ways to work and then apply them, the medical way is there is a set of symptoms and this is the answer if it does not work for you then you have to live with it.

Most therapists think that did not work so what's next! and then apply themselves to both the cause as well as the symptoms and find a workaround that will work for that individual, this is what sets us apart from the orthodox medical treatments as we only know we have done all we can when it is done