Massage Therapy and Fibromyalgia

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Research shows that mind-body approaches massage therapy, acupuncture, tai chi, & yoga may help relieve pain & reduce anxiety when integrated with standard care.

Research shows that mind-body approaches massage therapy, acupuncture, tai chi, & yoga may help relieve pain & reduce anxiety when integrated with standard care.

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is used to describe a ‘constellation of symptoms’ characterized by widespread pain in the muscles and joints, fatigue, sleep problems and cognitive difficulties (Arnold et al. 2018) .

The most recent research suggest that symptoms are caused by inflammation of the central nervous system. More specifically sustained glial cell activation and elevated levels of certain inflammatory substances (Albrecht et al. 2018).

In essence, the current thought is that due to ongoing neuro-inflammation there is a hyper-vigilance of the nervous system. Symptoms are then exacerbated because the body struggles to dampen neuro-immune responses associated with pain, fatigue and cognitive difficulties.

Can Massage Therapy Help?

A number of clinical practice guidelines (American & Canadian) now recommend the use of massage therapy as part of a multi-modal approach for patients with Fibromyalgia (Busse et al. 2017, Skelly et al. 2018). It is not suggest that massage therapy alone can control symptoms but can utilized to help relieve pain & reduce anxiety when integrated with standard care.

Why Does Massage Therapy Help?

The responses to massage therapy are multifactorial (physiological and psychological factors interplay in a complex manner). An observed favorable outcome may be explained by a number of overlapping responses in the periphery, spinal cord, and brain, including but not limited to: modulation of spinal and supra-spinal reflex excitability (inhibition of nociceptive processing and activation of descending inhibitory mechanisms), and modulation neuro-immune responses (Espejo et al. 2018).

MASSAGE THERAPISTS USE A CLINICALLY-ORIENTED MULTI-MODAL TREATMENT BASED ON THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL.

MASSAGE THERAPISTS USE A CLINICALLY-ORIENTED MULTI-MODAL TREATMENT BASED ON THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MODEL.

So if you suffer from fibromyalgia, or you know someone who suffers from fibromyalgia help spread the word that massage therapy can be used to help manage symptoms.

More to Explore

Agarwal et al. (2018). Attitudes Toward and Management of Fibromyalgia: A National Survey of Canadian Rheumatologists and Critical Appraisal of Guidelines. J Clin Rheumatol.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29280818/

Albrecht et al. (2018). Brain glial activation in fibromyalgia - A multi-site positron emission
tomography investigation. Brain Behav Immun.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30223011/

Arnold et al. (2018). AAPT Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia. J Pain.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30453109

Busse et al. (2017). Guideline for opioid therapy and chronic noncancer pain. CMAJ.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28483845

Bourgaize et al. (2018) Fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome: Two sides of the same coin? A scoping review to determine the lexicon of the current diagnostic criteria. Musculoskeletal Care.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30350334

Clauw, D.J. (2014). Fibromyalgia: a clinical review. JAMA.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24737367

de Oliveira et al. (2018). Massage therapy in cortisol circadian rhythm, pain intensity, perceived stress index and quality of life of fibromyalgia syndrome patients. Complement Ther Clin Pract.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29389485

Espejo et al. (2018). Unraveling the Molecular Determinants of Manual Therapy: An Approach to Integrative Therapeutics for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Int J Mol Sci.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30205597

Kumbhare et al. (2018). A narrative review on the difficulties associated with fibromyalgia diagnosis. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29290763

Martucci et al. (2018). Altered Cervical Spinal Cord Resting State Activity in Fibromyalgia. Arthritis Rheumatol.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30281205

Nijs, J., & Houdenhove, B. V. (2009). From acute musculoskeletal pain to chronic widespread pain and fibromyalgia: Application of pain neurophysiology in manual therapy practice. Manual Therapy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18511329

Prabhakar et al. (2019). The Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Treatments in Fibromyalgia: a Comprehensive Review. Curr Rheumatol Rep.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30830504

Skelly et al. (2018). Noninvasive Nonpharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30179389

Sluka, K.A., Clauw, D.J. (2016). Neurobiology of fibromyalgia and chronic widespread pain. Neuroscience. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27291641

Wolfe et al. (2016). 2016 Revisions to the 2010/2011 fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. Semin Arthritis Rheum.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27916278

Yuan et al. (2015). Effectiveness of different styles of massage therapy in fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Man Ther.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25457196