Fibromyalgia & Massage Therapy – Does it Really Help?

Feb 6, 2022 | Explained

What is Fibromyalgia?

Over the years, we have helped a range of our clients to alleviate or reduce their fibromyalgia symptoms by following their bespoke care plan. First, let’s start by explaining what fibromyalgia is, then we will look at the benefits of massage therapy. At Circle 8 massage in Leeds, we advocate for natural healing processes by leveraging massage techniques. So, this is why we will look at the advantages of incorporating massage therapy as a treatment option to alleviate your fibromyalgia symptoms.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for fibromyalgia. So, what is fibromyalgia? It can be described as a chronic musculoskeletal disease, fibromyalgia. Moreover, according to Health Care Pro, fibromyalgia affects over 1.5-2 million people in the United Kingdom. Furthermore, Human Touch has identified that fibromyalgia affects nearly five million people.

What’s more, the Human Touch blog also identifies that fibromyalgia seems to affect women more than men. Over the years, we have helped an abundance of clients at Circle8 massage to reduce the main symptom of this disease, which is pain throughout the entire body. It is also worth noting the reason fibromyalgia is not known.

 

Fibromyalgia Symptoms

So, we have already mentioned that the reason fibromyalgia occurs in people is unknown. However, the way to diagnose fibromyalgia was identified in 1990 by the American College of Rheumatology. This team of researchers discovered eighteen different pressure points, which massage therapist still uses to help diagnose patients with this disease. It would be safe to say that fibromyalgia, stress, and tension go hand in hand. Think about it, when we are stressed, some of us can feel our bodies contracting and seizing up.

Now, imagine that you have an illness that already provides tension to your muscles and tissues. It can be asserted that fibromyalgia often reduces a person’s arterial blood supply and muscle elasticity due to excess tension and stress. Moreover, once a patient’s muscles gain tension and reduce muscle elasticity can then trigger the pain receptors, thus resulting in chronic pain. Therefore, due to the way that the pain is triggered, it makes treating fibromyalgia difficult – but don’t worry!

Circle 8 Massage, Leeds, has over 20 years of combined experience providing professional massage services. If you don’t believe us, simply speak to a Circle 8 team member. Then you can rest assured that we will create a bespoke care plan to help you manage your fibromyalgia symptoms. If you’re still unsure, keep reading, as we will be highlighting the benefits of massage therapy to treat fibromyalgia. Moreover, we understand that fibromyalgia symptoms can become out of control, especially during stressful times in our life.

We proudly offer bespoke massage care plans at Circle8 massage, Leeds. We work closely with our clients to find manageable, cost-effective solutions rather than just relying on pain medication to reduce their symptoms. Since fibromyalgia starts are unclear, there are many discussions about its psychosomatic. Therefore, because it is caused by the brain sending incorrect pain signals to the body, it cannot be treated with all pain medication. In addition, pain relief isn’t really the answer.

In our opinion, physiotherapy, regular massage therapy, and exercise are vital to help manage your symptoms. Please keep reading to discover the X benefits of using Circle8 massage therapy to treat your fibromyalgia.

 

Five Benefits of Massage Therapy For Fibromyalgia

We have already explained that there is no cure, per se, for fibromyalgia, which is partly to do with the fact that we do not know why people develop fibromyalgia. However, no cure doesn’t mean that you cannot manage these conditions. In fact, there are several options besides pain relief and muscle relaxers to alleviate your fibromyalgia. Although we might be biased, we believe that massage therapy is one of the best ways to treat fibromyalgia.

According to the National Library of Medicine (2013): “Massage therapy with duration ≥5 weeks had immediate beneficial effects on improving pain, anxiety, and depression in patients with FM.”

Furthermore, there are many positive outcomes when using massage therapy to alleviate fibromyalgia symptoms. It can be asserted that when the body is relaxed after a massage, you are literally removing your tension via a massage. We have already highlighted that tension seems to go hand in hand with fibromyalgia. However, it is worth noting that stress and tension can trigger more painful symptoms.

Massage therapy has been known to provide the following benefits for fibromyalgia patients. So, we have listed the five benefits that you can gain by incorporating massage therapy as part of your treatment plan. We have found these benefits from the American Massage Therapy Association

  • Reduce tension and pain
  • Reduce anxiety
  • Boost productivity
  • Decrease in depressive episodes
  • A higher quality of life

Please be aware that there are far more than five benefits of using massage therapy to treat fibromyalgia. However, we felt it was important to show our clients’ most beneficial and expected benefits by using massage therapy to treat fibromyalgia. These massage therapies are arguably better than pain killers because it’s a natural way of combatting pain. Moreover, as the body naturally relaxes and reduces tension, we have a better overall sense of well-being.

Additionally, specific massage techniques can be used to target isolated problems, like poor sleeping habits. Let’s suppose your physiotherapist or masseurs understands your body and technique. In that case, they can tailor a care plan that is bespoke to your body to ensure you can reap the most benefits. We aim to alleviate fibromyalgia symptoms, which is why we work closely with our patients. Simply put, a massage can allow the body to repair and start a new day feeling fresh. Finally, at Circle8 Massage, we understand that rest, massages, relaxation, and no tension are vital to managing fibromyalgia.

 

Three Massage Techniques that are Ideal for Treating Fibromyalgia

As aforementioned, we have become experts in the sense of creating a completely personalised massage therapy plan. We believe that the most effective massage style for fibromyalgia is a combination of stretching, kneading, pressure and heat. Moreover, these massage techniques will help reduce tension and loosen the body, especially when the muscles are tight or tense. Thus, because massages can improve your breathing and circulation, they effectively treat fibromyalgia.

When a patient’s fibromyalgia has flared up, it can make completing everyday tasks a little more complicated. Some people end up bed-bound to the point they can barely move. Therefore, incorporating massage into your fibromyalgia care plan can help you continuously improve your circulation. As you improve your circulation, it will also help you remove the toxins that you might have in your muscles. We usually recommend the following therapies to treat fibromyalgia:

  • Passive, daily stretches
  • Swedish Massage
  • Sports Massage & Deep Tissue Massage

If you want to get a handle on your fibromyalgia, you simply need to speak to Circle8 Massage Leeds. We are confident we have the ideal massage therapy to help reduce your fibromyalgia symptoms.

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When you come for a massage at Circle8 we don’t just treat your issue and send you away, we find out exactly which movements and muscles are causing it, explain to you what’s actually happening, give you exercises in the gym and at home that you can do to help alleviate and eventually get rid of your issue.