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Needing advice from any who have experience working with fibromyalgia clients
I have a new client who has fairly severe firbomyalgia. Most of her pain is in her calves, just above her knee, her hands, and upper back.
I've just completed the second session. I did tell her (based on what I've read) that she may feel more pain after the first few sessions, but that it would lessen and help overall after many more sessions.
The site I went to recommended starting out twice a week. I've been using very gentle swedish massage, along with myofascial release.
She experiences pain, not during the massage, but immediately afterward. Then it gets better, and then worse again. I'm not sure if this is normal or not. It's hard to find concrete details on what to expect.
Can anyone suggest a good site on firbo that is from a massage perspective? Or share your own experiences with me?
For the second session I tried working on each area less, in case I spent too much time there and thus, aggravated the muscles.
I appreciate any advice you all have to give me. ~ Jennifer Baker LMT
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Wilson Jordan on
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No problem but I think you are ahead of the game. Lets fill you and it is nice to know that you do know something. However, lets put a couple of pieces in place for you that are currently scattered. I agree with you about Reflexology but my disagreement is because how it is NOT being used. Working one area at a time is meaningless but sometimes called but fo the most part it is always about connecting the body so it will once again have the full force of source to travel throughout all of its channels, rather they be bone, muscles, organ, fluid, etc.
I've asked you to find the reflex spot on the foot for the adrenal, regardless of how many variations you see about the precise location it can only be found with palpation, and not by observation. Finding it means knowing exactly what you are feeling for; this bump when activated can be as large as a nickle or dime, soft or hard but always tender when activated (activated means out of balance).
Lets start out with the L foot, underneath and close to the median line, it sort of moves around when pressed. The touch here must remain light because of what happens in conjunction with the specific spot on the foot, which the left hand is palpating on the L foot. Then with the right hand it palpates where the L Adrenal is located. Client is supine. Lets start out by using the fingertips on each hand (the 3rd & 4th) to palpate the reflex spot on the foot and the same digits to palpate the Adrenal. Now align the two. What align means is there is a circuit, current, or wave that travels from the organ to the reflex point. This is what most reflexoligist don't know nor what to do with it.
These two location are held until the pulse of both of them are in sync for at least three consecutive beats...That's indicates one level of balance has at least occurred. The the same thing is done on the other side. If either or both of the Adrenals are suffering from over activation this process can take from 45 minutes to several hours. Now that is a long to just hold two spots or rather four in total. But you see the role of the Adrenals is fully understood or acknowledge here in the WEST by most. This is call draining and balancing at the same time. But without it the body cannot and does not relax because relaxation happens in the Adrenals or it doesn't happen. That is what is meant by flight and fright. Either they are happening or all is well.
Getting the Adrenals to a well state so that the rest of the body can be addressed without resistance is crucial. So as in the beginning I too agree with your take on Reflexology; however, I will be surprised if you have seen it used to connect "live" circuitry" where the effects are visibly noticeable, given the practitioner is willing to put in the time.
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This is one of the biggest errors about the human body that we in the West maintain and work hard to make so, "And there is no correlation between organ points compared to the American or European version. And then there are accupuncture points and so on." There can be no other correlation except to the organs. Whether one is able to palpate this connection determines if it exist or not. Since the Asians have been doing bodywork much longer than any European or American civilization I suggest that we become more open to finding out how various systems are connected versus doubting their efficacy and usage.
Most therapist do what we have been taught and seldom do we ask is there a better way, a different way than what is going around and accepted by the norm, which creates minimal results. We don't know a lot about bodywork because we are so rigid about what is real and what is not. For example when you think about pressing and rubbing on the body to squeeze life out of it so it will relax sounds plausible but when thinking about the body from the inside out why would you ever squeeze or rub it since it does not do that to itself. There has to be another way to communicate with the body's structures.
We are still trying to fix old and new problems the same that doesn't work or takes forever because we toss out what we do know.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Baker on
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Thank-you for your responses. I'll look more into reflexology.
Wilson Jordan said:Drain the adrenals, fibro is a system. Treating it is like treating a sysptom for a cold. Why bother unless you are just going to treat one symptom after the next. The adrenals are over working and must first be turned out...that is also why the lymphatics struggle because there is a toxic overload inside of several systems...the kicker is the adrenal button...do you know how to do this or even what i'm referring because most do not; because it is not taught to most of us.
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Jennifer I'm not suggesting reflexology and apologize if that is what it sounded like. I'm advocating using a piece of reflexology to tie into something much bigger than reflexology itself.
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Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on
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adrenal gland overproduction is a very serious disease...at its worst it manifests as Cushing's Disease. Far more frequent is adrenal gland insufficiency. Adrenal gland is controlled by the pituitary, right?
I haven't found mention anywhere else of adrenal gland over or under production exacerbating the symptoms of FM. But it is something to consider. And what the hell, although I am not a true believer in reflexology, when the client is prone, I massage the feet; when supine, when time is sufficient I usually spend a few minutes treating the feet with reflexology. And once in a blue moon, a client requests a 30 minute or hour reflexology session of both feet and hands.
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Lets break down your symptoms, upper back (be more specific, where which vertebraes and ribs are involved; what are the soft tissue structures in that region; can you palpate with clarity the status of each structure - this means identify it and distinctly feel it in under your hands.
I guess before I tell you how to do anything I'll take the time to find out how much you know about the body through your hands and not your head. I would like to mention be careful of accepting diagnosis; some are true and some are nothing more than an identification given to something that no one has figured out yet. For example the common cold has millions of symptoms clear identification is forfeited for the name of convenience. Hence, a cold. I mention this because Fibromyalgia is like the cold. So, instead of the name identify to yourself the condition of the tissue and as many systems as you can. That way you know exactly what you are treating and you know what you are not treating and what you don't know, yet how to treat or even that it exist.
So, do the same exercise with the calves, knee and hands. Identify to yourself exactly what you are feeling if you have to keep notes during the session so you remember do; and give her some extra time for the inconvenience. That is merely my suggestion and nothing more. If you have to resort to reference books by all means do because if you knew it you would not have to look it up.
I recommend every week but not rubbing her. Introduce something to all of her systems that they will like. Balancing and restoration; she would experience bliss, comfort, relaxation, ease of life this will last for about 2-4 dys depending upon her the amount of emotional stress she is hauling around. I calling the client a her but I don't know. Hope you don't mind. I speak to you more about the balancing later when you inquire.
She is experiencing pain if you work on her or not. Working on her, disrupts the cycles that she is becoming accustomed too. You see are rubbing something that is already inflamed. All of those areas have inflammation if not an underlined tightness that is disguised by a different kind of cramp. These cramps are about as thick as a strand of your hair but they compress about a 64th of inch of muscle fiber into that hair like strand. Can you imagine what I just said because it goes against everything that science teaches. With inflammation and tightness the underline cause will always be a cramp. Cramping is what the body does to protect itself; when cramping or inflammation gets out of control as it is in this case it implies that there are some systems in overload. Do you know which systems these might be?
Your second session gave you a true reflection given the technique you are using. You still insisted upon rubbing something that was already inflamed. Do you understand what I am saying?
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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on
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The important thing is that people like having their feet rubbed! :)
One of my clients is a certified reflexologist (and recently a licensed massage therapist); she and I have worked together on clients and what she finds in the feet correlates very well to what I find in the body. It's so interesting! Also, we've noticed that some of the reflexology work - particularly the mobilization techniques - can be felt through the fascial systems of the entire body. So I'm sure that's part of why it works.
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Wilson, your posts read as if English is not your native language. English is very hard to learn! But your posts are hard to follow.
I think what you are saying is that it's not intelligent to rub a system that is already inflamed because it will make it worse. That makes sense to me. And you are saying to ignore a diagnosis, get your hands on and treat what you find. That's the best advice I always get from my CranioSacral mentors!
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To Gary,
It doesn't matter what the adrenals cause when they are on or off; the point is that the adrenals are to be balanced and by balancing them (foot along with the site where the adrenals are located in the back) a relaxation happens where the autoimmune system can remain on; and not off because of the adrenals. Both can't be on at the same time. Having them on creates a problem elsewhere. When the autoimmune is turned off we are susceptible to everything. So, regardless if you buy the tie in or not I'll willing to bet that the reflex spot in your foot and the palpable location of the adrenals in your back both hurt when gently pressed on. If not both sides then definitely one side more than the other. I am sorry to have misled you regarding the efficacy and specific usage of a reflexology technique, but that is all it is without the palpation skills this knowledge is useless.
Since you are already giving attention to these areas in your clients but doing so more on the fly then with much understanding of what all you are triggering then we are half way along. Next you have to palpate the kidney region of different people. Do so with intention because you will notice different texture, size, hardness, softness etc. Each one of these says something about the Kidney. I say the Kidney first because you have to be able to clearly identify it before you will be able to distinguish the adrenal. Lets start there.
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Therese Schwartz , then i am giving too much information. no problem where specifically would you like to start and yes you have understood what i'm saying to you along with your CranioSacral mentors. I must ask if they are your mentors what are you mentoring because you are doing something completely different than what they do. But yes you have an inherent working question to ask yourself about how you want to work (how you have been taught or how to achieve what it is that you are doing), which is relieving others of pain and discomfort. Unless, it is relaxation you want to do then knowing how to erase the pain would not be your focus. I am about fixing it, what else is there to do with a problem.
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
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Well if you erase the pain and it doesnt come back. You've fixed it. Gosh I've helped many without doing anything you are talking about. Not sure what that means? But if you are healing people, and I'm healing people by fixing the problem. Then there must be seveal paths to truth?
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Paths are kewl as long as the result shows up...I couldn't have said it better.
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