Wendi White - Fibromyalgia Massage Within a few months my health started deteriorating. One day I found myself unable to get out of bed. If I moved it felt like every bone in my body was breaking. I didn't even know if I could crawl across the bed to the phone to call into work! Well, a few days later I spoke to my mom on the phone. She said it sounded like I had what she had (at that time it was called Fibrocitis). She said to get to the doctor who diagnosed her. Well, I did. He confirmed it. I had Fibromyalgia... I got the same story everyone else does- exercise, prescription drugs, and there is no cure. The doctor said, "You are going to have to live with this." So, I pick myself up, get back to work, and back to school. Struggling all the way from the pain and fatigue, and don't forget the blinding headaches. While at school. My teachers said the best type of massage was very soft strokes. My body was screaming for very deep work. The light touch did nothing to relieve the pain, but the deep work made by body cry in pain for days. None of my classmates knew what to do with me either. They didn't want to work on me for fear of hurting me. I started researching about everything to do with Fibromyalgia. First, I researched what could help to make me well enough to have a productive life without all the drugs. I found lot's of information for all the symptoms, but nothing for just Fibromyalgia. I started trying all of the suggestions and came up with my regimen that is now used by my client's. I put all the information into my first book "90 Days to Managing Fibromyalgia, Naturally". The next step was to work on a massage technique to help those with FM. I had the best of both worlds with this. My mom was a great candidate to help me "hone my skills" on what worked in relieving the tight, stiff, painful muscles that every Fibromyalgia client has. I then started marketing myself as a Fibromyalgia specialist and had several doctors sending their patients my way. The massage protocol worked! Their patients were getting the relief they needed in two ways- the 90 Days regimen, AND the massage protocol! The protocol is one that I use on every Fibromyalgia client. They can't believe the difference in this technique compared to all the others they have tried. It's all about the fascia and how to stretch it in the correct way to render the 18 tender points inactive. This gives the client the relief they are seeking. The main response when asked how they feel after the massage is "I feel looser, like I can move again without pain." Those words make my job fulfilled. I know what they mean, because of having FM, and that is what I always want my massage therapist to achieve in our sessions. |