The article Fibromyalgia - An Introduction indicated that sufferers of fibromyalgia
cannot repair their muscles and connective tissues adequately due to poor sleep. Fibromyalgic muscle may be viewed as achy and tight and most probably microscopically
damaged. Intense rehabilitation exercises, high impact training and deep, vigorous massage may just not be appropriate for fibromyalgia patients as their muscles are unable to repair themselves
in sufficient time to cope with intense modalities.
Massage is thus best carried out in a gentler manner with the goal of achieving reduced tightness and pain levels in muscles.
The symptoms of Fibromyalgia ebb and flow. There are good days and not so good weeks. Treatment of fibromyalgia should be
considered as an ongoing process and not just fire-fighting on the bad days.
A research investigation (1) compared a study group of 23 fibromyalgia patients who received 15 connective tissue massages over a ten week
period with a control group of 25 fibromyalgic patients. The results indicated that the massage recipients:
had reduced pain
used less analgesics
had better mood and
indicated that they had a better quality of life.
Whilst it might be tempting for the sufferer to relax and not move muscles/joints that are causing pain, moving them can be one of the better
preventative and curative measures to alleviate the pain of fibromyalgia. As the muscles and joints are inseparable and what affects one will always impact on the other, then a holistic approach to treating fibromyalgia is required.
Traditional massage techniques that desensitise neuroreceptors and soft-tissue techniques that extend contracted tissues, tone weak muscles and decompress motion-restricted joints will be an integral element in managing fibromyalgia.
An afternoon or evening massage will facilitate improved quality of sleep in the patients enabling a greater level of nighttime muscle repair to take place.
Gentle exercise is generally recommended for fibromyalgia clients (although the mantra of 'if it hurts then stop' should be adopted - this is definitely not a time for
'no-pain no-gain'). It doesn't matter the type of exercise, just as long as the heart gets a good workout and that the exercise is low impact.
One hypothesis regarding the beneficial impact of exercise is that it increases the supply of natural endorphins that dampen pain and enhance sleep. In addition, exercise can increase levels of serotonin and growth hormones - the very ones that people with fibromyalgia may lack.
Exercise also increases the flow of blood to the muscles (massage may achieve the same outcome) - physiological studies have indicated that fibromyalgia sufferers have slightly reduced muscular blood flows.
Thus it may well be that massage and exercise together may assist in reversing the debilitating impacts of fibromyalgia.
(1) Lund et al. "Muscle Metabolism in Fibromyalgia ....during Aerobic and Anaerobic Exercise".
Scandanavian Journal of Rheumatology. Vol 32. Iss 3. 2003
Any information, advice, recommendations, statements or otherwise contained herein, or in any other communication made by or attributed to Eastern Suburbs Massage and its representatives, whether oral or in writing, is not intended to replace or to be a substitute for medical advice trained by a trained physician or healthcare practitioner.
