Massage Can Help With Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Being a fibromyalgia or ‘fibro’ sufferer can feel miserable. There is no cure, so all you can do is learn to manage your symptoms as much as possible to try and avoid it impacting your everyday life.  This can be easier said than done because it is not something people can see.  You look fine to them.  People do not realize the pain that a 'fibro' suffer is in on a minute by minute basis.
 
What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a condition which affects around five million Americans, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, more females than males, and usually between the ages of 20 and 50.  Fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves.
 
The main symptom is pain, which can range from mild to severe. It varies from person to person but some people report shooting or burning pains while others complain of a constant deep ache which doesn’t let up. It’s common for joints to feel tender and the pain to get worse at night although some people feel it all day long. Other symptoms can include tiredness, depression, headaches and memory loss.
 
Good News for People Who Have Been Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia
Massage can be a pleasurable and effective way to relieve some of the symptoms of fibromyagia and help you to manage it better. This is because massage boosts circulation in your muscles, reduces heart rate, relaxes your muscles, improves the range of motion in your joints and increases production of the body’s natural painkillers.   All of these effects are positively great for fibromyalgia sufferers.
 
Massage for Fibromyalgia
People who have fibromyalgia can be extra sensitive to pressure in some parts of their body.  Massage therapists who have studied up on fibromyalgia know this and will ask you about any particular areas that might be a problem for you. If you’re worried that it will hurt…don’t be.  Professional therapists know that people with fibromyalgia can be sensitive to pressure.  He/she will make sure that you know you can tell them at any time if your massage feels in any way uncomfortable. If you’re concerned about whether a massage is a good idea for you, speak to your doctor first.
 
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
Massage can help to promote better sleep.  If your fibromyalgia leaves you waking up tired, even after what you think was a normal night’s sleep, regular massage sessions can help.  A  massage will leave you relaxed which can promote deeper sleep.  Deep sleep helps fibromyalgia symptoms because it’s when you enter the deep sleep phase that your body can repair and restore itself.
 
Boosting Your Mood
Massage boosts the feel good hormones and endorphins that can help to banish the low mood and depression that can go hand in hand with fibromyalgia pain. Getting a regular supply of feel good hormones is a great way to manage the symptoms that can sometimes get you down.
 
Banishing the Pain of Headaches
Many fibromyalgia sufferers also suffer from migraines or tension headaches caused by tight neck and shoulder muscles.  Improving blood flow to those areas and releasing the tension with regular massage sessions can help to reduce the pain from a fibromyalgia headache.

Just having one massage session can leave you feeling better for a while, but as with most therapies, the benefits increase with the regularity of your sessions. Book in for regular massage therapy and you could start to feel much better in-between your sessions as well as during and after.
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