Massages

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LivetoErr

Distinguished member
Joined
Jan 15, 2014
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137
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
06/2012
Country
CA
State
AB
For me, massages are one strange phenomenon.

We have a friend, here in Mexico, who is a licensed masseuse. She, very kindly, gives me one, once a week while I am here.

Why I call them a strange phenomenon is because outside of a massage, I don't care to be touched. You can't, so much as, brush my skin without me jumping out of the path of contact. During the massage she rubs my toes. It feels so good I swear I could have the whole hour dedicated to my feet. However, when the massage is over, she always wipes my feet off so, I don't slip. Now, talk about making me want to scream.

It makes me wonder why it is, that I can handle having my toes massaged but not wiped off. It's so weird. It's almost like it's psychological.

Does anyone else experience this or any other strange massage phenomenons?
 
Yes! I can not be softly touched and my toes are a huge deal. You can rub my feet but can not touch my toes unless it is with strong massage. If my husband lightly hugs me I want to die but if he bear hugs me with a strong hug I'm good. I totally get it. All I can think of it is our sensations that are confused.
 
Well, I'm happy to hear I'm not the only one. Everyone I talk to, who doesn't have Fibromyalgia, thinks it's all psychological. Or that, I can reason with myself that I have to be touched during a massage and know it helps. In every other circumstance, I don't need to be touched. I giggle when people hug me, they barely touch me and always preface the hug with "I know you don't like to be touched but..."
 
their are some message therapists that have training in specialties in fibro and chronic pain massages, I know ours to a class on it to help some of her clients
 
I have the same problem! I am so glad I read this post because it's been making me feel like a crazy person! Massages that are harder are great but being touched lightly is awful. I have the same thing with my husband so he knows now how to hug be hard or go home lol. I wonder why this is. Does anyone have any theories?
 
Wow, once again a thread I've read has damn near brought tears to my eyes. I'm such an emotional wreck right now dealing with this that every time I read something that other people feel, that I thought was just me being weird, makes be cry.

I love deep tissue, hard massages. I could get a massage every single day for hours. I beg my husband regularly to massage me, but I sure hate to be touched. My husband thinks it's cute to tickle me. I don't. At all. Ever. He doesn't get it. I can't explain it.

Very glad I'm not alone.
 
It's thought that Fibromyalgia may be a disease of overactive nerve ending, sending pain signals to the brain where there usually shouldn't be any. See, the nerves utilized in light, faint touch are generally very sensitive to begin with, so if you multiply that by a condition which amplifies that delicate sensitivity, you're absolutely going to get a painful, shocking experience. The nerves that detect more deep, muscular pressure are very different from those aforementioned surface nerves, and so it's completely understandable that we don't react the same way to massage as we do a gentle brushing sensations.

You're not strange at all. In fact, it seems to be a universally shared symptoms among those with Fibromyalgia.
 
What you've all described is called 'Allodynia'. I know because I've been diagnosed with it, as well as my mother has been diagnosed with it for 17 years...

Definition: *Allodynia* is pain, generally on the skin, caused by something that wouldn't normally cause pain. Many people with *fibromyalgia* report having this symptom. Examples of allodynia are pain caused by mild pressure from clothing, a light touch, gentle massage, or sheets rubbing against the skin. Allodynia is believed to be a hypersensitive reaction that may result from *central sensitization, which is associated with fibromyalgia. The pain signals originate with specialized nerves, called *nociceptors, that sense information about things like temperature and painful stimuli right from the skin. Pain caused by touch is called tactile allodynia, while pain caused by movement against the skin (i.e., the brush of clothing) is called mechanical allodynia. Temperature-related pain is called thermal Allodynia . Other conditions associated with allodynia include neuropathy,*postherpetic neuralgia*and*migraines.

I recommend you share your symptoms associated to this condition with your doctor so they can diagnose this condition if necesssary, and to have it in your charts/ records... Also, I wanted to let you all know, YOU'RE NOT CRAZY! Lol this is a real medical condition! It can be linked to other diagnoses as well, not just fibro. Share this information with your loved ones, as it may help them understand why they need to learn your 'magic touch tolerance' as I call it lol. You can finally tell your hubbys/boyfriends not to be offended, it's not them, it's us! Lol sometimes if you say it hurts or pull away from their touch, they become offended.... But if we can educate them on the how/why, they can become the natural Mr fixers they are at heart and learn how to help you both better!

Hope this is helpful!
=]
 
What you've all described is called 'Allodynia'. I know because I've been diagnosed with it, as well as my mother has been diagnosed with it for 17 years...

Definition: *Allodynia* is pain, generally on the skin, caused by something that wouldn't normally cause pain. Many people with *fibromyalgia* report having this symptom. Examples of allodynia are pain caused by mild pressure from clothing, a light touch, gentle massage, or sheets rubbing against the skin. Allodynia is believed to be a hypersensitive reaction that may result from *central sensitization, which is associated with fibromyalgia. The pain signals originate with specialized nerves, called *nociceptors, that sense information about things like temperature and painful stimuli right from the skin. Pain caused by touch is called tactile allodynia, while pain caused by movement against the skin (i.e., the brush of clothing) is called mechanical allodynia. Temperature-related pain is called thermal Allodynia . Other conditions associated with allodynia include neuropathy,*postherpetic neuralgia*and*migraines.

Hope this is helpful!
=]

This is some fantastic information, Katie. Thank you so much for elaborating on the conversation and lending your knowledge. I didn't realize the phenomenon specifically had a name.

My wife actually has this to some degree, coupled with her neuropathy, though this has primarily been linked with her thyroid disorder. Whenever her legs begin aching, she becomes increasingly less tolerant to light touch in general, but happily these symptoms are not prominent all of the time.
 
It wasn't until my mom had a conversation with my Rheumatologist about Fibromyalgia that she understood a bit more.

We'd go out to eat every Friday, to the same restaurant, and always sat in a booth. My dad sat by himself, as he's larger, and mom and I would sit together. I always sat on the outside because scooting over was too hard. However, she'd always want to place our coats between us. She'd get noticeably irritated when I'd ask for them to be moved. She just couldn't get why a coat against my side would be so bothersome. When my rheumatologist explained it to her, a light went off and she accepted that it was actually an issue.

See, the funny thing is, I like to be caressed. You could caress my back or feet for hours. Just don't push on my skin or have something heavier rest against it. I don't like jeans for that reason. They look ridiculous if they're too baggy but I can't stand them fitted. Thank god, it's not very often that I want to wear them. It's too hot here for jeans.
 
For me, massage feels heavenly, like I'm enveloped in a cloud...until the next day. I hurt so much that I can't get out of bed. I feel like I was beaten with a stick.
 
See, the funny thing is, I like to be caressed. You could caress my back or feet for hours. Just don't push on my skin or have something heavier rest against it. I don't like jeans for that reason. They look ridiculous if they're too baggy but I can't stand them fitted. Thank god, it's not very often that I want to wear them. It's too hot here for jeans.

Oh my gosh, I'm exactly the same way! While I don't seem to have the super touch sensitivity that many of you here experience, I am, however, very intolerant to ongoing pressure. And because of this, my jeans are always one or two sizes larger than what I naturally wear. I've just come to accept my baggy pants, because you better believe I'd become a clawing, cornered cat if you ever managed to cram me into some skinny jeans. :lol:
 
I guessed I wouldn't be the only one with this sort of thing, but it's so nice to hear. I get a massage once a week that really helps, but being touched without my prior knowledge and specific request is awful. It's actually caused huge problems in my relationship! I feel so guilty because I am so particular about what feels good and what doesn't and mostly it doesn't! It almost felt like I was lying because some touch felt good, but not his... I used to be a really touchy person and craved it constantly. It has completely rocked my world to have touch be so uncomfortable and contentious. I have PTSD so I thought maybe it was all just psychological, but it just didn't seem to fit all the situations.
 
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