Have you experienced Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder, non-inflammatory, non-articular condition of at least 3 months duration. It is characterized by widespread aches general soft tissue pain in at least half the body, including specific tender points in at least 11 of 18 prescribed location on the body. Sleep is nonresorative, exercise tolerable is diminished and morning stiffness is present.
Client experience a range of symptoms of varying intensities that wax and wane over time.
Causes:

• Idiopathic
• Neuroendocrine dysfunction

• Pain amplification disorder. Fibromyalgia clients may have changes in the working of their central nervous system that lead to an amplified experience of pain, Hence, individual with fibromyalgia experience nociceptive signal differently and experience more tenderness to a given pressure than a healthy individual.

Characteristic of Fibromyalgia:

• Can occur at any age, usually between 30-50 years.

• 90% are women

• With 30% of those diagnosed, the symptoms develop after a physical trauma, or a viral infectin.

• Pain is described as generalized musculoskeletal pain and stiffness predominantly in the shoulders and head and neck.

• Fluctuation in symptoms-people report days being pain free to other days having intense pain.

• Unpredictable course, may be chronic, go into remission, or have cycles of acute flare-up and remission.

• Specific prescribed tender points.

• Non-inflammatory, non-degenerative and non-progressive.
• May or may not have a severe impact with activities of daily living.

Medical Treatment:
May include low dosage of anti-depressant may increase deep sleep, decrease pain and improve serotonin levels, analgesics, sleeping pills, muscle relaxants, must rule out conditions ( RA, Lupus, other systematic conditions that can have a similar presentation to FM).
But if you are choosing to try massage in Oakville to help yourself to manage this symptoms you should consider some key point in your treatment:

• Be knowledgeable about the condition

• Find the balance between activity and rest.

• Provide pain relief

• Treatment should have a relaxation component

• Consider decreasing treatment time to prevent fatiguing.
• Set up a realistic goals.

And many other key point that you may ask your therapist to assist you with.