Massage for Fibromyalgia (With Interview and Demonstration!)
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- My new book is out! It's called Massage Is Weird: massagesloth.com/book/
Massage doesn't have to hurt for it to work! In fact, for clients with fibromyalgia, meeting their nervous system at a place of comfort and ease can be vital.
0:00 Introduction
1:23 The flare-up/remission cycle
2:13 Central sensitization in fibromyalgia
2:46 Sample interview with a client
3:00 "When do you hurt and where?"
3:31 "Have you had any recent flare-ups?"
3:55 "What kind of massage is helpful for you?"
4:10 "Have you ever had a massage that made things worse?"
-Massage demonstration
4:51 Adjusting bolstering for that client (avoiding positional discomfort)
5:55 Tracking your client
6:45 Sensitivity to smells, sounds, etc
7:10 Starting where the pain isn't
8:00 Using a mother hand
8:30 Working with tender points using myofascial release
10:18 Slow and light pressure massage for clients with extreme sensitivity
11:35 Being patient with change across multiple sessions
12:21 Alternate strategies for clients who can't receive direct work
13:05 Tracking results and negative outcomes across sessions
13:35 Avoiding inflammation
14:10 Massage as a gateway to wellness
Relevant research:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... - Review of studies on massage for fibromyalgia prior to 2014
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... - Cupping no more effective than placebo (needs replication)
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... - A study focused on a weekly myofascial release protocol
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... - Myofascial vs Swedish for fibromyalgia symptoms
www.sciencedirect.com/science... - The role of central sensitization in fibromyalgia pain
The main thing I'd like you to take away from this video is that each client with fibromyalgia will be different, which can mean making no alterations to your usual routine, all the way to working more lightly and slowly than you ever have before. If you do end up needing to deliver a uniquely light-pressure massage, just keep in mind that this isn't so much about the tissue itself. This isn't a problem that needs to be broken down or stretched; this is largely a matter of nervous system programming and endocrine function. As long as you're delivering contact that sends a message of safety and comfort, you'll be making progress.
As you work on and around your client's tender points and sensitive areas, consider using an approach informed by myofascial release. Instead of confronting the points directly as with trigger point therapy, use oblique pressure and long slow "ironing out" techniques. This can allow you to work with these areas more directly, and without provoking a pain response.
Let me know what you think in the comments, and if you have any questions! I'd love to hear some experiences you've had working with massage clients with fibromyalgia, and the strategies that have worked for you!
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I have had Fibro for at least 35 years and two weekly deep tissue massage is vital part of my management regime.
That looks so good! I am crying just wishing for a massage like this. I am one of those people who want extreme pressure because it distracts me from the other pain I feel constantly.
You sound like my mom. I have a lot of grip strength so I'm crushing her when i do a massage, it's what she asks for. Hope you can find some relief too 🤗
Ian, thank you for your understanding of the body and specifically the nervous system. I have a client with fibromyalgia whom I have used your techniques on, and had great success. "Making friends with the nervous system" is what I keep in mind as I move my hands. Thank you!
Oh, my! Your voice is so soothing. I felt like I was in the room getting all that relaxing energy to my nervous system. Thank you for understanding our pain.
Thank you so much for discussing fibromyalgia! I was diagnosed around three years ago. Everyday is different. Finding that balance between pressure that is soothing or painful is so key. All of the example questions you gave were spot on.
Thanks so much Susan! Glad to hear that I'm on the right track
Hello please consider a series of videos addressing massage for fibromyalgia and the central nervous system. We are a large community of neglected people in a lot of pain who've lost the ability to do anything we love. Also it may seem unlikely but sometimes the only way to get relief from intolerable knots intolerable is trigger point release, please address doing so without increasing pain. In addition to hurting all over I have extreme pain in the abdominal, hip, back and anywhere my bra touches. I'm on the spectrum of disability concerning pain. I spend a lot of time at an 11. Massage helps but I can't afford the suggested 3 times a week, I would love to have something to show my husband and children.
I love that idea of demonstrating trigger point work without pain! I'll give some thought to that, as well as further videos on fibromyalgia care. Thanks, Marlena!
Love your videos. My girlfriend never liked me giving her massages before but since I've subscribed and use your videos as a go-to, she loves them now. Thanks man!
That's awesome!
As both a massage therapist and a Person diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, this is very interesting. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this video. Finding ways to help fibromyalgia sufferers is awesome as there is so much unknown related to this condition
Thank you for covering this. I suffer from Fibro and you explained it so well. You went into the symptoms that people can have, and also took your time to learn, (and teach others) the patients body, so that they can get the best therapeutic care for their body and system. I completely agree with your observations of remission and active symptoms.
As a Fibro survivor, I do enjoy a lot of hard pressure and trigger point therapy when I am in remission. However, when I am in a flair up, my body feels like pins and needles. And I do still like massage touch and therapy, but more so along the line of lymphatic drainage pressure. Very very light and tender. My nerves are at a hundred and one for central nervous pressure.
I hope more massage therapist learn about this disease. Thank you for your approach. I definitely will share
Hopefully, I will find a therapist in my area who understands this. 🙏
Thanks so much for sharing your personal experience, Talisha!
I love, love, love your approach to massage. I'm an early-career massage therapist with a biopsychology background and fibromyalgia myself. I'm passionate about treating my fibro clients, but have felt like I'm all alone in thinking about treating the brain. It's so encouraging to see you teaching this approach! You always give me things to think about. Thank you, Ian.
Ha, nice to meet another MT with a psych background! It's great to hear that this rang true for you. Btw, if you haven't already, I'm hoping you'll join us on the forum! Search "Massage Sloth Clubhouse" on Facebook and you'll find us :)
How do you manage your own pain and flare ups when massaging others?
You're wonderful. So compassionate, a true Healer.
Very informative and very important. I have many clients that come to me (here in Norway) with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, although often, in my opinion, the doctors here tend to diagnose things as fibromyalgia whenever they are unable to accurately diagnose the reason for a pain or discomfort that exists in over a certain number of locations. Once that number is reached, they go with the fibromyalgia diagnosis - and then just start prescribing pain meds and exercises.
I have always believed that often times one pain is the result of another pain, and so can spread over time. (Neck pain resulting from tight traps, shoulder girdle muscles or postural muscles - that spread south, east and west to affect other areas.
The information you provided opened my eyes to see that my perceptions, although possible valid, are flawed in the sense that there is a possibly that I am not taking my clients nervous system seriously enough. Although I am very gentle on anyone that is experiencing pain, and communicate often and clearly with them - more often than not, the pressure that they are comfortable with is not very different from my normal healthy clients.
I like your approach and am very grateful for your time and tutorial instructions.
Thank you so much for your wonderful talents.
In an interview I did with a chiropractor that works with specialists in the field of chronic pain, they stated that the diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia is quite specific, and that most doctors have no idea as to properly test for it. For instance, the pressure applied to provoke a nociceptive reaction should be FAR less that what most doctors apply. Meaning that a bunch of people (they were talking about 80-90%) most likely have something else.
i have fibromyalgia and have been using massage therapy for years for healing, even before i got a diagnosis, this video helped me think about my symptoms in a more helpful way, in order to better explain relevant information to my massage therapists. i'm going soon for a massage, and i'm really looking forward to being able ot better communicate my issues! so thank you :)
Thank you for teaching this. There are so few medical/wellness professionals that understand fibromyalgia
Thank you . This s very helpful to me as a massage therapist with a close friend who lives with this condition. Your videos are soothing and motivating too. Thanks for yr guidance.
Awesome job on this video.
You were specific in this condition.
I'm so glad you made this video.
Thanks 😊 🙏
I just took this exact class. It was part of my medical massage certification.
Hi Richard, can I ask which Medical Massage certification did you take? I'm looking into it as well! Thanks for your help!
Is this for physiotherapoohy
Great information! I am a naturopath/massage therapist in Australia and currently seeing fibromyalgia clients. Thank you.
I just had a "massage therapist" give me a massage the other day. I told him how sensitive my body was to pain, and he *challenged* my pain level to the fact that he was very rough on points of my spine, Saying it was pressure point therapy. 3 days later, my entire back is in pain, I feel like I fell down a flight of stairs or got hit by a car. I told him I was uncomfortable and that it was painful. He assured me that it was counter pain and I would feel better tomorrow.
Well I don't. Some of these therapists need to step away from their ego, and what they think they know.
💯 this guy thinks he knows what he’s doing it won’t help just more money for them 😵💫
this was wonderful! Thanks! Great to see someone understands how a massage could work for a person with Fibromyalgia!
This was a wonderful video regarding how to deal with fibromyalgia clients. I am both a licensed Massage Therapist and an AOBTA-CP of Zen Shiatsu. I've begun to have more and more clients with fibromyalgia being drawn to my practice recently. I found this very helpful on when and what techniques to use depending on where the client is with their symptoms. Thank you for providing this.
So happy to see this video and your gentle approach to fibromyalgia patients. I have suffered from this condition for many years. The best way I can explain the state of my muscles and nervous system is that they are in a permanent state of fight or flight reaction. This causes sleep issues and I never get out of bed in the morning feeling refreshed.
This was so clear and well described! As a ND student this is amazing review. Thank you!!
His voice was so soothing nearly fell asleep just listening to him love to get a massage of him brilliant video.
I love your videos it keep my passion for massage alive
That's such a nice compliment, thank you Jasmine!
Thank you for this!
Thanks! I have fibro, and sometimes I just need that pressure to counteract the pain/sensitivity. Sort of the equal-and-opposite-reaction to it. Even if it is a flare-up. Yes, avoid increasing inflammation during flare-ups. However, heat and more vigorous techniques can be invigorating during a "normal" state. For me, pressure that is too light can be irritating. Just my two cents.😁
Thanks for this personal perspective, Laurie!
Me too it makes me worse when they only touch
👍🏽
Thank you for your tutorial
It helps me help my clients more
Thank you very much for the insight. A joy to listen to your confident soothing voice. Sounds like genuine interest :)
Thank you! Will follow this!
Thanks to upload this video!
I really appreciate your videos !
Thank you. Excellent video to me.
this was excellent thank you
This is so good!
Thanks again for a great video 👍🏻.
Fantastic video thank you
Finishing school next month and plan to take the MBLEX as fast as possible and Fibromyalgia treatment is one of my planned specialty. Thanks Sloth!
WOW!!! THIS Video is so HELPFUL!
You Nailed this to a "T".
I'm truly grateful!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!❤🙏😇
Great video! I have chronic pain and two sisters with FM. I do a lot of self massage. That helps a lot!
You are awesome! Thank you 🙏 so much for this video
thank you for giving info, very helpful on my upcoming exam for fibromyalgia
Awesome video brother
Thank you!!!!!¡ ❤️❤️❤️
Just learned fibromyalgia in my massage class today!
You were mentioned on the first day
How cool!
For me repetition hurts soooo much and hot stone massages really relieve my pain so well
I bought myself a massage one year for my birthday and the guy nearly killed me. I kept telling him to be more gentle but he wouldn’t listen. I had burning tension knots all through my shoulder blades that he made worse. I took a hot shower and cried after he left. I was in pain for two days
Arrrrgh I'm so sorry about that! That kind of thing just drives me crazy, and it's so unnecessary. I hope you're feeling better by now, and if you want to talk about seeking out the right massage therapist (or about what to do if you have lingering pain following that massage), email me at ian(at)massagesloth dot com.
this is really really helpful. Do you know of a therapist in the San Diego area that has the same technique as you?
OH thank you! you r so kind and brilliant ..... I appreciate your response to my request. Massage done by experienced hands really works for me ... !!! :xxxx I like all you say. It works for me ...But I really need pressure and trigger points work .... So kind of you to talk about soothing the nervous system.. ... But see, many people with Fibro got this because of their autoimmunity creating antibodies
Sería maravilloso traducido al español
Gracias por compartir
Bendiciones para Usted
I’m actually a fibromyalgia patient. I learned a lot from this video. Myofascial message works wonders for me.
Great to hear!
Wish I lived near you! My daughter has fibromyalgia.
Thank you so much for this video. A friend of mine is suffering about fibromyalgia and I'm going to taking inspiration from your information. I'd like to know how you treat on thighs. Thanks again big hug from Italy
I wish there were practitioners like you in Puerto Rico. Ive gotten massages for my fibro but its never modeled to my pain :(
Your voice is incredibly relaxing and soothing. I have severe fibromyalgia and most of the touches shown here would be way too much for me..i can only tolerate featherlight touch, as you mentioned at one stage
I hope to make a video on a session like that some day soon. It can seem like a challenge for the massage therapist to "hold back" that much, but it's really about meeting the client's nervous system where it is rather than chasing after what you're more familiar with. Finding that place of touch acceptance can be really gratifying if you allow yourself to be patient with it and not have any preconceptions. By the way, If you're looking for massage that is likely to respect your pressure tolerance right out of the gate, consider looking for an experienced craniosacral therapist. They really understand featherlight touch and can do some amazing work with it!
Thank you so much!
Hello Ian,
I was curious if you practiced martial arts, meditation, or any other activity that not allowed you to be more professional but also give off a genuine sense of calm. Also, do you feel that the character of the therapist itself is a part of the healing process?
Thank you,
David
I always worry about being blamed if they later have pain even though they're the one who wanted harder pressure during the massage. It's all about communication and every one is different, every time and do it slower until comfortable. But still, a lot more work to massage people with fibro.
I wish you could teach me everything you know in person 😭😭😭😭😭😭
You discuss central sensitization in this video, and I've noted in other videos that you discuss using soft or even motionless touch to start with on some clients in order to let the nervous system relax. Might I ask where you learned about those topics, and where there might be good resources on the subject?
For context, I have an autism spectrum disorder. One of my personal traits is that I find unexpected or unsolicited touch to be, not quite painful, but extremely displeasurable. Like having an intense itch that you can't scratch. Yet, if the contact is with someone or something that I am familiar with, or something professional like a doctor, it is perfectly fine or even pleasant. I understand enough neurology and psychology to guess how it works, but given that you have great experience in "talking" to nervous systems of many different people and some clear education on the matter, I would be quite interested in your thoughts.
Hi Chips! My favorite resource for this Paul Ingraham: www.painscience.com/articles/central-sensitization.php He's not a researcher, but he's excellent at synthesizing and explaining the research, and it's a good jumping off point for further investigation.
ear reflex can work too
Hello. Are there any aromatic oils you would recommend for fibromyalgia? And thank you very much for information. Best wishes from İstanbul Turkey🌻🙏🧿
A chiropractor I spoke to regarding fibromyalgia said that doing gentle joint manipulations could help by inhibiting nociception in the dorsal root via an increase in proprioceptive input. I guess he was referring to the gate control theory of pain inhibition/modulation. But I do wonder if there's any evidence to back up his statement. In his defence, he does actually work with neurologists that deals with serious cases of chronic pain.
Makes sense to me! From what I've read and experienced as a massage practitioner, giving someone's nervous system input that communicates a message about safety and wholeness (or even neutral messages about movement, compression, etc) can reduce sensitization over time. I'll never know exactly what's happening at the level of the spinal cord or brain, but both the gate control and central sensitization models ring true to me.
Thank you for the video! Are you using any lubricant for this demonstration?
Yep, I always forget to talk about that part! I've got probably a teaspoon of jojoba oil spread across her back and my hands. Not enough to give me a Swedish glide, but enough to keep me from stopping in my tracks.
@@MassageSloth thank so much!
Goood
Do you use oil? Good video, Thank You 👍
Ah, forgot to mention that on this one! I am using a bit of jojoba oil. Just enough to keep me slow, but not so little that it's irritating when I glide. Good question!
@@MassageSloth Thank you for your reply and great videos 👍
This is a fantastic video! I really appreciate and admire your approach to your clients with fibromyalgia. I’ve been researching and considering massage to help me with pain relief. However, I’ve been too afraid to actually make an appointment because I’m afraid of the possibility of leaving there in more pain.
I really enjoyed your explanation of wanting to communicate to the brain and convince it that the increased sensitivity isn’t necessary and that you do so by applying a touch that gives a sense of safety and convey that touch is safe and can also be healing. That’s truly fascinating to have learned and I feel like this new info will help me tremendously on my quest for understanding fibromyalgia, how it is affecting my body and finding what works to help relieve those symptoms and pain so that I can live as normally as possible.
I’m curious, have you ever worked on any clients with Sensory Processing Disorder? Is massage something that could help those with sod in any way? Thanks so much!
Wonderful, Devon! I hope you're able to find someone to offer that safe contact. My recommendation would be to send out feelers to several massage therapists via email or PM and see who is able to talk fluently about the topic. You could even send them this video and find out their thoughts. If they're thoughtful and capable, I'm sure there are plenty of locals with fibromyalgia who would love good work!
I actually wasn't familiar with SPD as a stand alone diagnosis prior to this, I'll read into it! Just from a first look, I do wonder if massage could be useful for desensitizing people with SPD to grating touch stimuli, or just as a kind of moving meditation.
Thank you so much!
Hello, I have this medical condition and I like hard pressure but last night I did one and till today I have pain in some area it's like I was fighting with others! Is this pain normal or bad!
Hello Alhanouf, I'm afraid I don't have enough information, and if you suspect you might be injured (or in an abnormally bad flare-up of your condition), the best person to see would be your doctor, or your specialist who treats your fibromyalgia. In general: If it feels similar to soreness after a workout, that is fairly normal following a massage. If you have flu-like symptoms (fever, joint pain, malaise), severe pain, or bruising, then the massage was excessive. You say you feel like you were in a fight, and that's way too much. Either your massage therapist needs to go much easier next time, or you need to find a different massage therapist who can work on you with your condition in mind. Rest and other recovery strategies (epsom salt baths, ice packs, gentle stretching and movement) would be good as self-treatment, but if your pain lingers or worsens, do consider seeing your doctor for evaluation. Best of luck!
Can I also do massage like this even though I don't have enough knowledge about fibromyalgia?thanks
I think so! I don't have any special training in the topic other than reading research papers, reading first-hand accounts, and listening to my clients. Because the syndrome is so heterogeneous, you'll always be best served by using the client in front of you as your first and best resource and following their lead. Just remember the flare/remission cycle (err on the side of doing too little when the client is in a flare-up), and be willing to give the most gentle massage you've ever done if that's what your client needs, and you'll do great.
@@MassageSloth thank you so much for answering my question and advice..it helps a lot..God bless and more power to you and your channel
OIL?
I have a new client, gentleman who claims he has fibro and he always wants a TON of pressure. Odd
Yeah, whenever I have a new client who reports fibromyalgia, I put allll my expectations on hold. While many lean toward light pressure and less poking, others just want me to elbow drop their back from the top turnbuckle. Hey, whatever they find helpful!
We're taught in class not to work on anyone during any kind of flare up
I like her
bela explicação sobre o quanto a massagem pode ser importante como tratamento complementar aos portadores de fibromialgia. Parabéns!