July/August 2001 Alternative Health
Fribromyalgia
by Todd Pennington
This syndrome is characterized by: muscle pain, fatigue, sleep
disorders and disbelief by much of society. According to the medical
definition, it takes 11 or more of the 18 predetermined trigger
points being very sore before they want to call it a real case of
fribromyalgia. How about the person with less than the required
trigger point count? They still hurt. How do they get help? The
medical community normally only gives pain killers for this syndrome.
Is that real help? The other main response is to teach the client
how to manage the pain. Not a lot of help there either.
In my opinion, Fibromyalgia can have many causes. Some of them
are: trauma (accidents), over-use of the muscles, some diseases,
some autoimmune conditions, sleep disorders, chemicals, and emotions
(grief, anger, sadness).
Doctors frequently act as if all the cases have the same cause,
and that the same treatment will work to help all cases. Each person
is an individual. Even if every case had the same cause, each would
still need individual care, since each person reacts to treatment
differently.
The first factor to treat in Fibromyalgia is the muscle pain. When
the pain diminishes, sleep deprivation frequently improves. It is
important in treatment to use a light touch to start with. In this
condition, muscles tighten, which can pull bones out of position.
Relaxing the muscle can allow the bone to go back into normal position.
Bone alignment and muscle sensitivity needs to be checked throughout
the body.
After finding the problem patterns, and releasing the superficial
soreness, the underlying conditions can be looked at. The work must
proceed at a pace that the client can tolerate. With this level
of pain, there will be toxin dumps. These will cause pain unless
the person drinks lots of water (frequently about a gallon a day
for two days).
Fibromyalgia frequently causes sleep disorders and can be caused
by sleep disorders. In either case, working to release muscle pain
frequently allows sleep to improve. The body does a lot of repair
during deep sleep. When sleep is interrupted, deep sleep is what
is normally lost. This can result in less time for the body to repair
itself.
According to some studies, two of the most common causes of Fibromyalgia
are car accidents and work accidents. When the body moves suddenly,
muscles get signals to tighten. The body does this to keep parts
from separating from the torso. This sets up a pattern within the
brain that keeps the muscles tight until something changes the pattern.
If the Fibromyalgia is due to other than trauma, then several forms
of treatment will be needed. The muscle pain must be addressed regardless
of how many trigger points are active. Part of the work has to also
include determining possible causes and a search for methods to
take care of them. This can involve several disciplines before finial
results are reached.
Pain killers sometimes will work to change the pattern. Frequently
all they do is mask the pain for a short time. There are many different
methods to change the muscle holding pattern. Some take months or
even years to make a difference. This is why many people work at
teaching how to live with the pain, instead of how to get ride of
it. I have found that Control Muscle Release Therapy has the
potential to make changes in hours to weeks instead of many years.
Regardless of the cause of the Fibromyalgia, it is possible to let
go at least of some of the pain, and sometimes all of the muscle
pain.
Control Muscle Release Therapy looks at the muscles
that control bone and muscles at a distance. The goal is to release
the whole structure easily and gently by relaxing the key regions
of the body. In many cases long term (chronic) conditions can be
improved.
Take care of your body now and it will help to
take care of you later.
I work on all the issues that I have talked about and many others.
For more information on this and many other subjects check my web
site or call and request articles that I have written. If you have
one or more of the issues and want to make changes, call and schedule
an appointment. Todd Pennington, LMT 10175 SW Barbur, Suite 306,
Portland OR 97219. (503) 244-4427. www.penningtonmassage.com