Massage for Temporary Relief?

[mariposa]

One of my friends with Fibro gets a few days of relief when she has a professional massage done. I don't know if it's the kind that is "deep muscle massage" or just regular but it really does seem to make a difference at least in her case.

Does this work for anyone else? Is it an accepted therapy in the Fibro community or is it just a fluke that it happens to help her with pain relief for a little while?

 

[Libragirl67]

I do not think it is a fluke. But I am not sure how long this relief would last. But then again relaxation is key because if you feel less stress than you may feel much better. And maybe the deep massage is really helping her muscles to relax. So maybe the massage is like yoga or meditation. It is her inner peace. If this truly works for her than I am so glad she has found relief.

I personally cannot afford to do this. But I do try and meditate and find my inner strength.

 

[SulaBlue]

You might try and see if there's a massage school near you. There's one here and the prices are rock bottom. I think it was under $60 for a 90 minute massage when I looked? And around $35 for a 1 hour.

 

[mariposa]

That's the biggest problem, the cost. And it's why she doesn't go to have it done more often. I didn't ask what she paid but I assume it was more than $50 and I know that she can't do it often. It was always so disappointing to her when she started hurting again, though.

 

[mariposa]

You might try and see if there's a massage school near you. There's one here and the prices are rock bottom. I think it was under $60 for a 90 minute massage when I looked? And around $35 for a 1 hour.

Great idea, SulaBlue... I've heard this before and it sounds like it would be very beneficial if a school offers discounted massage. We *do* have a school close to hear that does massage therapy classes, so it would be easy to find. Do you know how "advanced" a student would have to be before being allowed to see clients? This wouldn't be considered a practice session, would it?

 

[SulaBlue]

Mariposa - I think it varies from one school to the next. I think it's likely that it's students that are in their last bit who need to get in their "clinic hours." I was going to go but it turns out that the massage school here has tables that have a somewhat low weight tolerance and after more than a year of being sedentary due to pain and deep, deep depression I didn't feel like I wanted to find out if my being right at the edge of their weight limit was worth the stress. I just had this fear of the table going out from under me (though likely it'd have been just fine), but I don't think I'd have been able to relax. Tables can have a weight limit of anywhere from 250 pounds on up to 500 pounds or more. This place, unfortunately, had them towards the lower end.

 

[1sweed]

I have tried this method of having massage, but it was too painful for me to continue. So I bought a electric vibrating full-length mat that feels like rollers running down my back from my neck to feet. I also have heat option and can control what areas I need the massage vibs at the most. It was cheaper than paying for a massage and I can control the strength with low to high options.

Sometimes local healthfood stores provide this service at a rate of $35 per session. I don't think you would want to have it extend past an hour anyways, or you might overdo on the muscles and feel worse when you get home. Sometimes I have heard others here mention using yoga and light stretching, and swimming or a hot tub to help with muscle pain. I guess it depends on what you can handle and afford to have done.

 

[twiztc]

where did you get your massage mat Sweeds? can you get it online? i have a chair pad but it only vibrates or heats and i really hate that vibrate feeling.

 

[mariposa]

I'm sorry to hear that the massages were painful for you, 1sweed. :-( The electric mat sounds like a very good alternative, especially with the heat option. Is it to lie flat on, or to be used as a large chair cushion to sit on? I can think of a number of things that such a mat would be beneficial for in addition to Fibro. I really need to see where something like that is available!

 

[BrianWolfe]

Has anyone here ever tried other forms of massage like acupressure? I believe massage can bring some relief but for permanent effect it should be done on a regular basis. I am not sure what is the most effective type of massage for fibromyalgia patients though.

I think it is the combination of pressure and heat that helps to reduce the pain and discomfort.

 

[mariposa]

You made me curious about this, BrianWolfe, because I haven't heard of acupressure as a treatment before... so I looked it up and it does seem to give some people relief. Even better is that it can be self-administered.

Now, that said, I'm thinking of the people I'm close to who have Fibro and/or other chronic pain, and I'm thinking that while I believe acupressure is good for some health/hurting issues, I can't really comprehend how it would lessen the excruciating pain of Fibro. If it were that easy, I think everyone would be doing it and it would be all over the news. That said, I'm going to do more research on it... wouldn't that be an awesome finding if something so simple would help those we love who are dealing with the pain?!

 

[MercyL]

The massage school idea is a good alternative to the expense of professional massage sessions.

If you are like me, though, I cannot stand being massaged if I've had a flare up. It has taken some time, but my husband can work on the knots I get in my back, neck and shoulders and is gentler than a masseuse, who must set limits on how long a massage can continue.

Do you know someone who would be willing to serve as your masseuse? Having him or her work on you not only relieves some of the pain, but also helps ease some of the emotional strife associated with pain and the isolation many of us feel.

 

[BrianWolfe]

Absolutely, I think massage definitely helps patients to reduce the pain and discomfort. I have a close friend who has regular massage sessions (she lives in Malaysia, where the cost of living is much lower than in Europe or the US) to help with her pain. She definitely finds it more tolerable after even an half-hour session.

 

[musclepain]

Oh, absolutely! I made my living selling massage therapy services for many years. However, an acknowledged bias and an honest attempt to be fair-minded can result in a valuable informed opinion, perhaps better in many ways than pretending to be objective or balanced. I go out of my way to be critical of massage therapy. I consider it an intellectual and ethical duty: health professionals must be self-critical and critical of each other. That is how we improve.

 

[csmith225]

I get deep tissue massage twice a week with heat and the use of TENS. I hurt the entire time on the table, its so hard to relax when the therapist is trying to relieve the huge knots in my muscle. I tried accupuncture 3 weeks ago, on my 2nd session I was crying, I was lying on my stomach for over 20minutes and pain just starting shooting down my left leg, and lower back. I was bruised from the cupping, I decided that this was not the treatment for me. Now yesterday with my massage therapy that pain came again down my left leg, and the therapist found the muscle that was aggravated and relieved my pain, but I tell you when I get off of that table I look like I got in a fight with the table and it won lol! And yes! I'm still in pain, still stiff, but I get relief knowing that some of the knots in my body are being removed.