A multi-disciplinary approach to the puzzling and frustrating condition of fibromyalgia can be the best approach to take for both the patient with fibromyalgia and the treating health care providers. Many patients naturally go down a path seeing multiple health care providers that specialize in conventional medicine and more "natural healers" that offer complimentary care. In some circumstances the conventional medical approach is not helpful enough, and improved health and function starts to happen when the patient with fibromyalgia beings utilizing natural approaches. Thus the natural healer is no longer considered ‘complementary’; they are now the patient’s primary resources for help.
When I first entered practice and moved from understanding fibromyalgia as it was written up in text books and journals to what fibromyalgia patients presented with, I was dumbfounded as to how misunderstood fibromyalgia is in academia. The old thought of fibromyalgia was still very prevalent in my academic setting. To summarize the general thought then, fibromyalgia was more or less a fictitious condition that a collection of weak, unmotivated, and emotionally unstable people created in their own heads. It earned equal respect from many health care providers, as chronic fatigue syndrome did. We were lead by the majority of our professors to believe that there was little that we could accomplish with "the fibromyalgia patient".
Fibromyalgia, or fibrous muscle pain when translated from medical terminology, is a pretty accurate name for the condition considering the symptoms experienced by those who have it. On examination, it is easy to feel with your hands where the patient's ‘hot spots’ are because they’re extremely knotted up and tight. The patient usually confirms where they are by withdrawing and responding to the pain they receive when these spots are touched. The more I see fibromyalgia the more I wonder how the providers that discount the level of empathy miss the patient’s "hot spots" or cannot feel them with their hands.
Initially in practice, I thought that massage therapy would be the best treatment for fibromyalgia. I was seeing patients with diffuse muscle pain accompanied by stress and fatigue. It seemed like relaxation massage from head to toe would make the person feel wonderful. My recommendations for massage, however, were usually volleyed back with a, “no way” or “that hurts”. I soon learned that too thorough massage and keeping a patient with FMS stay in one position for too long creates more tension on hot spots and often aggrevates their condition.
I imagined there had to be the right balance between treating the patient’s hot spots without causing more trouble for them before they presented. Personally, I didn’t achieve satisfactory results until I had thoroughly studied Active Release Techniques® (ART). ART is a patented soft tissue treatment for muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves that has achieved a good reputation for muscle and joint injuries and conditions. ART has also been poorly generalized as a technique that only achieves results when it is painful. Sadly, that is not the truth. The founder of ART and his most experienced teachers stress ART treatments are only painful when they’re not applied correctly. With experience and the ability to adapt their tension and pressure, ART providers can drastically help patients with fibromyalgia. ART helps reduce the stress in the patient’s muscles comfortably, without aggravating hot spots.
More to come on these subjects in the near future. If you have any questions, please contact me!
Bryce E Christianson, DC & certified ART provider
Note: Dr Christianson became rapdily busy treating patients in his new clinic he ventured out on his own to create, he has not yet had the time to follow up with more installments, but this one topic has certainly been welcomed and helpful to those using Lumigrate as an educational tool, so we thank you, Bryce.
Dr. Christianson lives and practices chiropractic medicine with a specialty in Active Release Technique (ART) in Grand Junction, Colorado. He invites people to interact via email: bryce@grandjunctionart.com [1] or through the ART website at www.activerelease.com [2] (which includes a directory of certified providers). He also maintains an informative website about his professional and personal interests at www.grandjunctionart.com [3], where you will find links to various helpful exercises he utilizes in his work. (Be sure to check out "The Dead Bug".) Find him on Facebook" www.facebook.com/pages/Colorado-Chiropractic-Muscle-Care/171... [4] and Twitter: ActiveReleaseDC.
Links:
[1] mailto:bryce@grandjunctionart.com
[2] http://www.activerelease.com
[3] http://www.grandjunctionart.com
[4] http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colorado-Chiropractic-Muscle-Care/171979756148408
[5] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/helping-fibromyalgia-active-release-techniques-chiropractic-manual-therapy-part-1#comment-919
[6] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[7] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/helping-fibromyalgia-active-release-techniques-chiropractic-manual-therapy-part-1#top
[8] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/655%23comment-form
[9] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/655%23comment-form
[10] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/helping-fibromyalgia-active-release-techniques-chiropractic-manual-therapy-part-1#comment-1226
Comments
I really appreciate your posting this, Bryce. For one, I find it really interesting that 3 years ago I was working in a clinic and doing all the things I could to facilitate an OT assistant who was amazing with hand therapy so that others could benefit from the treatment and I saw the benefit of it with patients with FMS to such a degree that I couldn't imagine not having an ART provider on the 'team' related to treating fibromyalgia. And here you are, having found your way one way or another even in this small community to having been tackled by me and asked to write something! I can wholeheartedly say that that I cannot imagine providing hand therapy services now to people without it including an ART provider be included in MOST of the cases. So thank you for going to all the extra schooling you have to get the education and certification AND for having further extended yourself related to education and told others. Maya Angelou would give you a gold star! (Does she give gold stars, or does she just gush and say 'good job'?).
And then secondly from the perspective as someone with fibromyalgia. Five years ago when I'd tackled Del and asked him to come treat patients in an outpatient setting with me and he used me as a demonstration about ART and said 'you have adhesions at several of the places that can happen related to carpel tunnel syndrome' and he cleared up as a side effect of a demonstration something that had been bugging me for a while, I made a mental note about ART and my arms. But this fall I had issues like I'd NEVER had before related to my lower extremities and sacrum/lower back and it was truly the worst times I've had from a body/function standpoint, including when I had a hysterectomy! And I appreciate that you and ART was part of what got me back on the road again.
I hope that people who are not local will look at the ART website and find someone in their area if they're interested, and if they're local and are interested in ART that they'll call you, email you, or go talk with you at your office and continue their path to health and well-being. And in that you posted the information and links, I thank YOU for that, and look forward to your future information here as well.
~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [6] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!
Bryce shared this lovely testimonial with me so I wanted to share it here ..... And it's a really GRATE reminder of how much it's appreciated by providers to have words of appreciation ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [6] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!