Massage therapy has been around as a general conditioning treatment for athletes for a very long time, so it’s no surprise that it is a successful way to rid tired and sore muscles of lactic acid build up. What is surprising is how many people with fibromyalgia have no idea that massage therapy can be an excellent way to treat the pain and stiffness that accompanies their illness.
Much of the symptomatic pain caused by fibromyalgia is due to lack of stage IV sleep, the deepest and most restorative type of sleep, which allows muscles to heal the damage that occurs during the day. One of the things that happens during stage IV sleep is that lactic acid is purged from the muscles. In people with fibromyalgia, stage IV sleep is interrupted, and thus this never occurs. Massage therapy can artificially clear the lactic acid from the muscles.
Another problem that fibromyalgia sufferers experience is a stiffening of the fascia, the connective tissues immediately beneath the skin, which there is actually a special massage technique to assist with (myofascial release). I have had myofascial release, and it is a gentle, relaxing technique, one that is so helpful that not only did I nearly fall asleep on the massage table, I also felt like I’d gotten a new body for days afterwards!
Often, massage therapists combine heat therapies with their massages in various ways (hot towels, hot stones, or even heating pads) in order to help patients specifically with fibromyalgia. Heat therapies have proven invaluable to help fibromyalgia sufferers with specific sore areas, and massage therapists strive to help their clients experience pain-free motion.
The key to a helpful rather than a painful massage is finding a licensed massage therapist who is familiar with fibromyalgia treatment. I cannot stress this enough. There are techniques which simply are NOT therapeutic for people with fibromyalgia (any deep tissue massage, rolfing, and similar treatments), and a person unfamiliar with fibromyalgia may not know this, and may attempt to relieve the knots and various tense muscles that fibro sufferers experience with a more vigorous or intensive therapy than is called for in treating the muscle problems of fibromyalgia. A good massage therapist will know that treating fibromyalgia requires discussion with that individual patient to see what their complaints are, first, and second, a gentle and firm pressure, not deep massage, which can actually increase the pain of fibromyalgia.
New research has discovered that fibromyalgia sufferers may actually have lowered blood flow to their muscles. Massage therapy, even if it is only a gentle chafing, can certainly help with counteracting this issue, and this, combined with the many other benefits of massage, make it one of the best treatments currently available for fibromyalgia.
Always drink a lot of water prior to and after receiving a massage, as the water will help flush the toxins that the massage pushes from your muscles, and plan to rest for a while after your massage (generally recommended to be at least the duration of your massage), followed by gentle yoga stretches to maintain your flexibility.
How often should you get massages? As often as you can afford it, really. When I was able to get massages twice a week, I felt almost normal again. That was when I had a massage therapist that accepted a barter plan, however. It is expensive, sadly, and unless you can find a massage therapist that will accept barter, you may not be able to afford more than one a month- I still think it is worth it, myself. They really do help, and anything that helps is worth the investment.
