As a condition where you experience widespread and long-lasting pain, fibromyalgia can leave you feeling miserable. Sometimes, it's difficult to find a treatment that helps you achieve a comfortable state. However, you may find that working with your body rather than relying on painkillers has a positive effect. Here's how physiotherapy and massage therapy could work well for you.
Maintaining Range of Motion
If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you may notice that your range of motion isn't as broad as it once was. For example, your knees may feel stiff when you try to walk or get up from a chair. A limited range of motion can leave you feeling as though you can't complete everyday tasks. Following a full assessment, your physiotherapist can introduce you to exercises that improve your range of motion, such as gentle stretches. They may also use massage on the joints where you experience stiffness and teach you how to perform such massages yourself. Massaging ahead of your exercises makes it easier to engage with them, allowing you to move your joints fluidly.
Reducing Daily Pain
Although painkillers can continue to have a role in reducing your pain, you shouldn't rely on them alone to improve your symptoms. Ultimately, they're masking your experience rather than improving it. Over-reliance on painkillers can make you drowsy and may have other side effects. Regular massage sessions targeting your most painful areas can reduce your pain. One way it achieves this is by loosening some of the knots to make moving certain muscle groups less painful. As a result, you may find it easier to start exercising. If you exercise regularly, you can release hormones and neurotransmitters that mask your pain.
Lowering Anxiety Levels
When you're feeling anxious, any pain you're experiencing can feel worse than when you feel relaxed. If this is the case for you, you might find yourself entering a vicious cycle. Your pain worsens your anxiety, which in turn increases your pain. Massage is a relaxing experience. When you commit to regular sessions, you should lower your stress levels and experience less pain. By approaching a physiotherapist for massage, you ensure they target the right areas and don't worsen any existing injuries. Additionally, they can advise you on self-care techniques that keep your pain levels low. This may include the use of hydrotherapy, low-impact water aerobics, or other gentle exercises. By following their advice, you can gently lower your anxiety levels and keep your pain levels low.
Contact a professional for more information about physiotherapy.
