Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Chiropractic and massage therapy in treating fibromyalgia

Prevalent in fibromyalgia is the comorbid condition myofascial pain syndrome (AKA chronic myofascial pain). If you have these knotted up pieces of muscle fiber that shorten the muscle, radiate pain and cause dysfunction, bodywork is indicated. These myofascial trigger points are called “neurological imitators” and help explain why so many fibromyalgia patients have neuropathies.

Soft tissue chiropractic therapies, such as active release therapy, are helpful in releasing myofascial trigger points, as does specific myofascial trigger point pressure therapy by someone trained in the work of Travell and Simons, see National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists.

The goal of treatment is to release myofascial trigger points, which restores the muscle to its normal resting length and restore joint function. This helps decrease painful stimulus that keeps the brain of the fibromyalgia patient in a phenomenon called wind-up.

All blogs, posts and answers are based on the work in Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Celeste Cooper, RN, and Jeff Miller, PhD. 2010, Vermont: Healing Arts press and are not meant to replace medical advice. www.thesethree.com

Author of Chapter Five, Living with and Coping Effectively Through Fibromyalgia: Detecting Barriers, Understanding the Clues, in Fibromyalgia Insider Secrets: 10 Top Experts, 2nd Ed. Ebook complied by Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD

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