Medical massage for relief from fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia can feel like your body is carrying pain, tension, and fatigue everywhere, all at once. Frustatingly, this often happens without a clear source or pattern. It’s a condition that affects your muscles, nerves, sleep, and stress response, making day-to-day difficult and uncomfortable.
Massage therapy can help by easing muscle pain, calming the nervous system, and restoring a sense of comfort and control in your body without stressing or overwhelming it.
What is fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is complicated. It has become essentially a catch all term for a set of symptoms with unclear cause and poorly understood mechanics. It is beyond this article to get into the nitty gritty, but we can cover the basics and then explore how massage can help.
In general, fibromyalgia involves some or all of the following:
- Widespread musculoskeletal pain
- Tender points and deep sensitivity to touch
- Chronic fatigue and sleep disruption
- Cognitive fog ("fibro fog")
- Sensitivity to light, noise, temperature, and stress
- Associated symptoms or conditions such as: inflammation, auto-immune issues, digestive issues, hyper-mobility
The nervous system in fibromyalgia tends to amplify pain signals, even in the absence of injury. This doesn't mean its “all in your head”. Pain is always transmitted from the nervous system, and your nervous system is very real. Fibromyalgia likely has to do with how your nervous system processes information.
Fortunately, our nervous system has evolved to pay a lot of attention and respond to physical touch. That's something we can take advantage of to have an effect on the discomfort caused by fibromyalgia.
How can massage help fibromyalgia?
🧘 Nervous System Regulation
Gentle, nurturing touch has a powerful effect on the human body, especially the nervous system. Massage can help dial down the volume on pain by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system. This calms stress responses, quiets pain pathways, and helps the body rest and reset.
🧽 Eases Muscular Tension
Many clients with fibromyalgia carry deep muscle tension from years of bracing, guarding, or trying to push through pain. Using massage, I have helped many clients gently softens these patterns, allowing more freedom and less restriction.
🧠 Supports Better Sleep
Restorative sleep is often elusive with fibromyalgia. Massage supports better rest by reducing cortisol, improving serotonin production, and helping release tension that interferes with falling or staying asleep.
💗 Increases Body Awareness (Without Overwhelm)
Fibromyalgia often creates a disconnect from the body. Massage helps rebuild safe, supportive connection. I like to focus on using gentle touch to help you tune into what feels good again, not just what hurts.
🔄 Improves Circulation & Tissue Health
Improved blood and lymph flow can help reduce inflammation and support the natural healing and detox processes of the body. This could be especially imported with chronic, system-wide issues like fibromyalgia.
When is massage a good fit for fibromyalgia?
Massage might be a helpful part of your care for fibromyalgia if any of the following are true:
- You're living with chronic muscle pain, stiffness, or tenderness
- You often feel worn down by fatigue, poor sleep, or overstimulation
- You experience flare-ups triggered by stress, touch, or movement, and need a gentle approach
- You want to feel more at home in your body — less braced, more supported
- You’ve tried other treatments but still need relief that doesn’t involve medication or force
If you are every able to find relief by finding a good position, stretching, or reducing stress then these are also good indications that massage could be especially effective for you.
Even if you’re not sure how your body will respond, massage can be adapted to your needs and is generally very safe to try. Many clients start with short, light sessions and gradually build up as their system becomes more responsive and less reactive.
Important considerations when receiving massage therapy with fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia can vary extremely from person to person, or even day to day for a single person. That's why I don't have a set routine, and I don't make any assumptions going into a session. Communication is key here. We will always take into consideration:
- Your current symptoms and energy level
- Your sensitivity to pressure and sensory input
- Your nervous system state that day
We go slow, communicate clearly, and listen to your body every step of the way. Most importantly, you are in control. There is no pressure to tough it out through discomfort. If something doesn't feel right we will stop, change course, or pause the session. The massage is for you, and you alone. We will decide together how it can best serve you.
In addition, if you are having a particularly bad flare up of symptoms, you might decide that it is best to postpone the massage entirely. This is encouraged, as some people can react negatively to massage during this time. If you know yourself well and think massage will still help, then discuss that with your massage therapist.
