Massage and Fibromyalgia

What is fibromyalgia?

All across the world, millions of people are affected with fibromyalgia, a debilitating condition that can make even the simplest daily activities difficult. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia experience severe muscle pain throughout their entire bodies. From the moment they wake up in the morning, people with fibromyalgia often feel completely lifeless, unable to face the world. Unfortunately, even with the advanced state of modern medicine, there is still very little understanding about what causes fibromyalgia. What is known is that the condition is lifelong and that there is no known cure. The best fibro patients can hope for is ways to relieve the symptoms and the pain. 

Fibromyalgia symptoms and pain

In addition to sore, stiff muscles, fibromyalgia comes with a variety of unpleasant symptoms. People with fibromyalgia almost always suffer from fatigue and wake up in the morning feeling like they had not gotten any sleep. Constant pain and fatigue understandably leads to anxiety and depression. The inability to concentrate on any one task that comes with the condition even has its own term: “fibro fog.” Because of this near-constant state of hazy numbness, it is sadly common for fibromyalgia sufferers to fall behind at work or with their housework. 

Fibromyalgia and natural remedies

Although there is no pharmaceutical cure for fibromyalgia, the tradition of alternative medicine has identified some treatments that at least alleviate the pain. For example, an herb called St. John’s Wort, long known for its properties combating depression, has also been shown to help with fibromyalgia. Similarly, acupuncture, which targets specific areas of the body to improve blood flow, has a rather impressive track record relieving joint and muscle pain. 

Perhaps the easiest home remedy for fibromyalgia is a massage. Massages attack fibromyalgia right at the source, directly reducing the muscle tension that can be so crippling. Furthermore, massages have been proven to lead to better sleep and improved mood, both constant battles for those with fibro. 

NAIPO massager recommendations

NAIPO offers many massagers that can be used to treat fibromyalgia. The best ones feature a heat function that can soothe the pain and boost blood flow to the places that hurt the most. Because fibromyalgia affects muscles all throughout the body, the most helpful are likely to be NAIPO's neck and back massager chairs with kneading shiatsu. A percussion massager could also be useful to directly treat tricky areas. Quality massagers like these can keep the symptoms of fibromyalgia at bay and allow those with fibro to lead healthy, normal lives.