Blog Post
Manage Fibromyalgia through massage
Jan Normanton • Oct 29, 2018
Fibromyalgia sucks the life out of sufferers…
Fibromyalgia is a difficult and chronic condition that can severely reduce quality of life for sufferers. Fibromyalgia causes pain throughout the whole body, varying from sharp and shooting to enduring deep boned aching, which can occur at any time. Painful areas can develop in the soft tissue around the joints known as tenderpoints.
Unfortunately Fibromyalgia is an enduring condition; the pain and symptoms need to be managed rather than cured. Whilst pain relief is available widespread through prescription medications, these can cause their own problems in addition to the condition itself.
Sufferers often seek alternative ways to manage this condition and increasingly are turning to more natural and healthier ways to do so. Therapeutic massage can provide an excellent means of pain management, and for good reason.
The complex range of symptoms manifesting in the body, as well as its negative impact on the mind and emotions can be addressed and improved upon uniquely through the one healing medium of massage therapy. Massage is natural so has none of the nasty side effects that medication can present and which can become problematic to manage in their own right.
Fibromyalgia is a difficult and chronic condition that can severely reduce quality of life for sufferers. Fibromyalgia causes pain throughout the whole body, varying from sharp and shooting to enduring deep boned aching, which can occur at any time. Painful areas can develop in the soft tissue around the joints known as tenderpoints.
Unfortunately Fibromyalgia is an enduring condition; the pain and symptoms need to be managed rather than cured. Whilst pain relief is available widespread through prescription medications, these can cause their own problems in addition to the condition itself.
Sufferers often seek alternative ways to manage this condition and increasingly are turning to more natural and healthier ways to do so. Therapeutic massage can provide an excellent means of pain management, and for good reason.
The complex range of symptoms manifesting in the body, as well as its negative impact on the mind and emotions can be addressed and improved upon uniquely through the one healing medium of massage therapy. Massage is natural so has none of the nasty side effects that medication can present and which can become problematic to manage in their own right.
The Holy Grail of Sleep…
A further significant feature of this condition is the overwhelming and debilitating fatigue experienced by sufferers, thought to be due to the impact of lack of appropriate and sufficient sleep.
Sleep can be something of a holy grail for those with the condition as they often find it difficult to get to sleep and can also be kept awake throughout the night because of the pain. Because of these irregular sleeping patterns, they can often miss the phase of sleep known as REM (rapid eye movement) which is crucial for good health and wellbeing.
It is during this stage of sleep that the body strengthens the immune system, repairs and restores tissues and builds bone and muscle. This phase of sleep is also integral to the process of balancing our mood, and the cognitive processes of storing memories and learning.
Without this phase of sleep, sufferers are prone to headaches and brain fog - mental confusion afflicting memory and cognitive understanding. The body’s immune system can become and/or remain weak and the body heals from injury and sickness less effectively and efficiently.
This lack of vital sleep may be one of the key contributors to the perpetuation of symptoms, not least the relentless continuation of pain. A vicious cycle is set in motion. Pain deprives sufferers of sleep which perpetuates the pain…. Sleep deprivation is also known to increase the levels of proteins that initiate and sustain chronic pain. So there is scant relief from pain for sufferers.
Getting a good night’s sleep can offer one significant contribution to breaking the cycle of the distressing impact of its absence and to giving the sufferer’s mind and body a break from the chronic pain. This might offer a glimmer of hope to improving symptoms.
And yet more symptoms….
Further symptoms can include IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), headaches and poor circulation resulting in tingling and numbness.
A high proportion of sufferers are likely to be managing co-morbidities such as lupus, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, not to mention significant adverse mental health conditions such as depression, stress and anxiety.
Manage Fibromyalgia without medication…
Massage can provide blessed relief from the physical pain endured by sufferers. Sufferers are sensitive to physical pressure, and as pain receptors are located at the surface of the skin, sufferers can benefit from the soothing, nurturing, healing touch afforded by massage. The message is conveyed from the skin receptors to the brain that this touch is positive, therapeutic, feels good and so can break the cycle of pain so prevalent in Fibromyalgia.
It is thought that Substance P, a brain chemical that stimulates pain receptors in the body, is overactive in Fibromyalgia sufferers and so these elevated levels may greatly increase the perception of pain. Massage is thought to reduce levels of Substance P, and thus afford pain relief.
The breath and heart rate slow down and blood pressure lowers during massage, thus inducing instant deep relaxation in the body.
Exercise can prove difficult for sufferers, the disadvantage being muscles lose their tone and efficacy and joints can become stiff. Massage can include mobilisation of the joints, thus improving flexibility and increasing their range of movement. Muscles and soft tissues are stretched out and tension is eased whilst muscle tone is enhanced. Tenderpoints are prevalent in sufferers - localised areas of pain around the joints known to be particularly painful and this pain can be relieved through massage.
Improved blood circulation removes toxins whilst providing all parts of the body with freshly oxygenated and nutrient rich blood. This improved blood flow offers further numerous benefits; it can relieve the physical cause of headaches, reduce the numbness and tingling of limbs, and reduce inflammation, a major cause of pain. Improved lymph flow also plays its role in transporting white blood cells to the body more efficiently, thus improving the body’s immune system.
Cortisol, a hormone produced by the body to manage anxiety and stress can in turn perpetuate anxiety and stress when the body is under constant stress. Massage removes this from the body effectively, whilst endorphins, the feel good chemicals, are stimulated through massage. These natural painkillers can afford the sufferer both instant pain relief as well as an elevated sense of wellbeing and bring about clarity and peace of mind.
There is scientific evidence that massage therapy can reduce pain and improve healing. These physical improvements impact positively on the brain to enhance one’s mood and sense of wellbeing. Massage works positively on all the systems of the body and so brings the body into balance. Soothing, therapeutic touch breaks the cycle of pain and replaces pain producing chemicals with pleasure giving ones. As such massage therapy can provide an excellent alternative to managing the difficult symptoms of Fibromyalgia whilst sparing sufferers from the additional burden of prescribed medication.
A further significant feature of this condition is the overwhelming and debilitating fatigue experienced by sufferers, thought to be due to the impact of lack of appropriate and sufficient sleep.
Sleep can be something of a holy grail for those with the condition as they often find it difficult to get to sleep and can also be kept awake throughout the night because of the pain. Because of these irregular sleeping patterns, they can often miss the phase of sleep known as REM (rapid eye movement) which is crucial for good health and wellbeing.
It is during this stage of sleep that the body strengthens the immune system, repairs and restores tissues and builds bone and muscle. This phase of sleep is also integral to the process of balancing our mood, and the cognitive processes of storing memories and learning.
Without this phase of sleep, sufferers are prone to headaches and brain fog - mental confusion afflicting memory and cognitive understanding. The body’s immune system can become and/or remain weak and the body heals from injury and sickness less effectively and efficiently.
This lack of vital sleep may be one of the key contributors to the perpetuation of symptoms, not least the relentless continuation of pain. A vicious cycle is set in motion. Pain deprives sufferers of sleep which perpetuates the pain…. Sleep deprivation is also known to increase the levels of proteins that initiate and sustain chronic pain. So there is scant relief from pain for sufferers.
Getting a good night’s sleep can offer one significant contribution to breaking the cycle of the distressing impact of its absence and to giving the sufferer’s mind and body a break from the chronic pain. This might offer a glimmer of hope to improving symptoms.
And yet more symptoms….
Further symptoms can include IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), headaches and poor circulation resulting in tingling and numbness.
A high proportion of sufferers are likely to be managing co-morbidities such as lupus, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, not to mention significant adverse mental health conditions such as depression, stress and anxiety.
Manage Fibromyalgia without medication…
Massage can provide blessed relief from the physical pain endured by sufferers. Sufferers are sensitive to physical pressure, and as pain receptors are located at the surface of the skin, sufferers can benefit from the soothing, nurturing, healing touch afforded by massage. The message is conveyed from the skin receptors to the brain that this touch is positive, therapeutic, feels good and so can break the cycle of pain so prevalent in Fibromyalgia.
It is thought that Substance P, a brain chemical that stimulates pain receptors in the body, is overactive in Fibromyalgia sufferers and so these elevated levels may greatly increase the perception of pain. Massage is thought to reduce levels of Substance P, and thus afford pain relief.
The breath and heart rate slow down and blood pressure lowers during massage, thus inducing instant deep relaxation in the body.
Exercise can prove difficult for sufferers, the disadvantage being muscles lose their tone and efficacy and joints can become stiff. Massage can include mobilisation of the joints, thus improving flexibility and increasing their range of movement. Muscles and soft tissues are stretched out and tension is eased whilst muscle tone is enhanced. Tenderpoints are prevalent in sufferers - localised areas of pain around the joints known to be particularly painful and this pain can be relieved through massage.
Improved blood circulation removes toxins whilst providing all parts of the body with freshly oxygenated and nutrient rich blood. This improved blood flow offers further numerous benefits; it can relieve the physical cause of headaches, reduce the numbness and tingling of limbs, and reduce inflammation, a major cause of pain. Improved lymph flow also plays its role in transporting white blood cells to the body more efficiently, thus improving the body’s immune system.
Cortisol, a hormone produced by the body to manage anxiety and stress can in turn perpetuate anxiety and stress when the body is under constant stress. Massage removes this from the body effectively, whilst endorphins, the feel good chemicals, are stimulated through massage. These natural painkillers can afford the sufferer both instant pain relief as well as an elevated sense of wellbeing and bring about clarity and peace of mind.
There is scientific evidence that massage therapy can reduce pain and improve healing. These physical improvements impact positively on the brain to enhance one’s mood and sense of wellbeing. Massage works positively on all the systems of the body and so brings the body into balance. Soothing, therapeutic touch breaks the cycle of pain and replaces pain producing chemicals with pleasure giving ones. As such massage therapy can provide an excellent alternative to managing the difficult symptoms of Fibromyalgia whilst sparing sufferers from the additional burden of prescribed medication.
Can you cultivate a rest state within by staying present, focusing on what is, noticing the difference between the stressful internal chatter and the actual state of your present peaceful reality. Come into presence and get anchored in the here and now, within the body. The mind takes us away from our body and truth – that all we have really is the here and now. We get to choose - either a vicious cycle of stress or a virtuous circle of peace.
For me, the only true way to leave that monkey mind, to leave the procrastination, the rumination, the catastrophization of our mind is to come into the body. This is my truth, when I come home to myself and drop into my body; this is the fact of the matter - right now I am ensconced in nature, I can hear the babbling brook, I can feel the beautiful warm air on my skin, I feel expansive, free, liberated; I’m moving my body and I feel well. I’m breathing deeply, oxygenating my whole body with freshly oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood and getting out of breath. I feel fantastic. That is my truth in the here and now. If I choose to stay in my mind, I can get very stressed and generate an entire stress state in my body. When I choose to drop into the body and stay present with what it is, my truth at this very moment, I get to experience something wonderful.
There are so many ways we self abandon. And one way to stop ourselves from doing this is to commit to self care with our time, intention, attunement, focus. In this way we replenish ourselves, fill our boots in whatever way moves us, inspires us, enables us to feel alive! Embodiment is to be at home in the body, to stay true to ourselves versus self abandonment. In remaining embodied, we are present to what is, to life in that very moment, rather than drifting off into the future or past. It is here that we can fully and completely experience life, tuning into all our senses and feeling every sensation. I find myself in nature, immersed in nature. Over and over again. I come home to myself. How do you remain embodied and cease the self abandonment?
This season I’m letting go; letting go of thoughts, mindsets, beliefs that no longer serve me. I’m decluttering, clearing out – physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically and spiritually. Creating space, for expansion, for allowing new beliefs, mindsets, thoughts and new feelings come in. I’m clearing the decks and every day I ask the question “is this serving me?” - is this thought, this mindset serving me, and if the answer is no, I let it go - with grace, with love, with compassion and I create expansion in my body, space in my mind; I create and grow and nurture resilience to support me to go forth.
There is enough time! Try this as a mantra to yourself to soothe your nervous system and return to steady state. This together with belly breathing and extending the exhalation is a quick, easy way to get out of the stress state and into the rest state.
Our mind can be our best friend or our worst enemy! We get to choose. What we focus on grows, amplifies, so be careful what you think about! We have agency, when we can catch our thoughts, recognise that it’s our thoughts that determine how we feel inside and we can challenge or gently be curious about these thoughts and instead attune to what’s going on in the here and now, in the body. This is our reality, what’s really happening in the here and now, in our body. So when we drop into the body, breathe into the belly, exhale for longer than we inhale, ground ourselves - then we can come into the here and now and recognise what is true for ourselves in the here and now; are we safe in the here and now, or have our feelings been running amok and creating the physiology of stress rather than rest. When we come into the body, come into our truth - we can come to that beautiful state of rest instead.
How safe and soothed do you feel in your mind right now? Ask the question about your body. How safe and soothed do you feel in your body right now? You might notice a vast difference. Notice how the mind takes us away from the present tense and your place of safety, with its constant chatter and disappearing into the past or future, into the dramas of daily life. Drop into that safe space of your body in the here and now instead. Anchor into your body - to find your refuge, safety, wellbeing.
The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
MINDFUL MOMENTS….How many of these do you allow yourself in your day? A chance to come into presence. To notice your surroundings. To notice yourself. How do you feel. Can you come into presence and connect through your senses to the here and now and to yourself. Can you take some slow deep inhalations and longer exhalations. Then notice how you might feel differently now. I so hope you feel better for and coming into your present reality and for returning to your true self.
By choosing to come into my body and the present moment, I get to nourish and nurture myself and replenish my spirit. In doing so my resilience increases so that, as and when challenges arise, I am better placed to deal with them. I generate a better foundation for my future self in choosing to stay close to myself and be present.
MY THERAPY ROOMS
Call for available times
Standish,
nr Wigan, WN6
Details provided upon booking
07944-655-645
