Massage Therapy and Fibromyalgia. Of all the alternative therapies available, more and more research is showing that massage therapy provides real benefits to people dealing with a number of health conditions, including fibromyalgia.
Swedish Massage
Swedish massage is widely known for reducing stress, increasing blood flow and detoxifying the body, all of which are beneficial to fibromyalgia sufferers.
One of the best treatments is for fibromyalgia sufferers to receive is massage therapy. Such therapy helps people get calf pain relief, decreases their stress hormones, and increases their serotonin level. With these benefits, it improves the overall sense of well-being.
Medications can help reduce the pain of fibromyalgia and improve sleep. Common choices include: Pain relievers. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) may be helpful.
Stress makes symptoms of fibromyalgia worse. Many people with fibromyalgia experience stress and feelings of depression, anxiety, and frustration. People may benefit from trying to avoid or limit exposure to stressful situations and making time to relax.
What Causes Fibromyalgia Flares? Health professionals do not know. It may involve nerve inflammation or changes in the pain pathways that cause more intense pain than other people feel. Many patients experience stress and feelings of anxiety, depression, and frustration.
The FDA approved a laser therapy device called FibroLux to treat fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is characterized by joint and muscle pain. FibroLux can reduce pain by delivering light to cells, increasing energy production, and healing cells.
Magnesium
Not only is it credited with keeping the heart, kidneys and bones strong, it also helps us avoid muscle spasms, weakness and back pain, Dr. Teitelbaum says. Women with fibromyalgia may be deficient in magnesium, studies suggest. And magnesium may help relieve fibro pain and other symptoms.
A fibromyalgia attack is also known as a flare-up. An attack can come on suddenly and cause mild to severe pain. These attacks may cause aching, burning, throbbing, or stabbing.
Massage can give great relief for fibromyalgia, but while some massages work well others don't, and there is always the potential for the wrong massage to hurt or cause your fibromyalgia to flare up.
Because FMS causes pain and makes your body extremely sensitive to touch and pressure, you probably won't be able to tolerate any kind of deep-tissue massage. Open lines of communication are vital when it comes to how much pressure a therapist can put on your muscles.
Contagious skin conditions (boils, warts, or herpes) Other skin conditions (burns, rashes, or sores) Circulatory system issues (high blood pressure, varicose veins, or stroke) Digestive system issues (ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, or colitis)
Remedial massage can help manage fibromyalgia symptoms through the application of specific therapeutic techniques to areas in the body where pain is experienced. It is also used to help relax the mind and release stress, as stress can trigger symptoms in fibromyalgia sufferers.
One of the most effective strategies for soothing the pain of fibromyalgia is also the simplest: apply heat. This can be especially helpful in winter, when Mother Nature is turning down the thermostat.
In some cases, the doctor may recommend a multivitamin that includes antioxidant vitamins A, C, D, E, and the B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc to ease symptoms. Coenzyme Q10. This antioxidant, used to convert food into energy, has shown some promise in treating fibromyalgia symptoms.
Fibromyalgia, one of the most common joint and muscle diseases, afflicting millions of Americans, is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, often accompanied by other symptoms, such as fatigue.
Melatonin is a natural hormone that's available as an over-the-counter supplement. It is sometimes used to induce drowsiness and improve sleep patterns. Some preliminary findings show that melatonin may be effective in treating fibromyalgia pain.
The symptoms of fibromyalgia are changeable – for example, they can sometimes suddenly improve or get worse. See a GP if you think you have fibromyalgia. Treatment can ease some of the symptoms, although they're unlikely to disappear completely.
Fibromyalgia is a complicated condition. It has no specific causes and no known cure. Yet for those who have it -- as many as one in 50 Americans -- the chronic pain, fatigue, and psychological strain of fibromyalgia are all too clear. Fibromyalgia symptoms are treatable, however.
The FDA has approved three drugs specifically for treating fibromyalgia, including pregabalin (Lyrica), duloxetine (Cymbalta), and milnacipran (Savella).
Poor sleep quality
Fibromyalgia can affect your sleep. You may often wake up tired, even when you have had plenty of sleep. This is because the condition can sometimes prevent you sleeping deeply enough to refresh you properly. You may hear this described as non-restorative sleep.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic (long-term) condition that causes muscle and joint pain throughout your body. An attack is a worsening of typical fibromyaligia symptoms such as widespread pain, hypersensitivity, stiffness, fatigue, trouble sleeping, muscle weakness, and memory or concentration issues lasting days or weeks.