Many of the symptoms found in  people with fibromyalgia  including:  pain, stiffness,  fatigue, poor sleep, decreased standing and sitting tolerance, increased stress and anxiety, depression, decreased functional abilities, intestinal discomfort,  can be relieved with manual therapies, particularily when combined with nutrition and relaxation/stress management, and exercise.

Fibromyalgia affects approximately 3-6 million people in the U.S., mostly women according to the lead author Tiffany Field, PhD a researcher with the Touch Research Institute in Miami.  It causes widespread muscle and soft tissue pain, tenderness, and fatigue.

A person with fibromyalgia will experience pain when “trigger points” are pressed.  She says, “If we alter sleep patterns, which reduces levels of the chemical messenger for pain”.  Now researchers understand that we are able to lower levels of the chemical messenger for pain — called “substance P.”

Manual therapy techniques such as Craniosacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, Neural Therapy, and MyoFascial Release help to calm down the autonomic nervous system, decrease inflammation  in the soft tissue , release adhesions of the organs, and calm irritation off the spinal cord..

Visceral Manipulation

Visceral Manipulation, Neural Manipulation, and Global Joint Treatment methods have also been shown  to reduce pain, stiffness, fatigue, sleeping difficulties, poor posture, range of motion limitations , and functional limitations by decreasing pain due to chronic inflammatory diseases, back or neck pain, and/or poor posture  which can influence an organ’s motility or inherent motion.  As the natural motion of the organ changes it begins to affect the mobility of the organ and it’s surrounding tissues.  If this system is not addressed, the pain cycle often continues.

Visceral Manipulation is a highly specialized technique requiring the practitioner to have an intricate understanding of the body’s anatomy in order to locate and mobilize the organ that is not moving freely.  True specificity of the sluggish organ permits the unwinding of the tissues from around the organ.  Other manual techniques do not have the same effect on the organs.

After a session, people report a sense of openness or lightness in the treated areas.  Improvements in mobility and motion can continue for one to two weeks after the treatment session.

In this five-week study, 20 adults with fibromyalgia received either massage therapy or relaxation therapy twice weekly.  The massage was a combination of several types including: Swedish, Shiatsu, and Trager, all using moderate pressure.  People in the other group went to progressive muscle relaxation sessions.  “Both groups showed a decrease in anxiety and depressed mood immediately after the first and last therapy sessions.”  writes Field.  The big difference showed up in their SLEEP and a decrease in their sleep movements.

Visceral Manipulation is a gentle form of manual therapy developed by Jean-Pierre Barral, an osteopathic physician and physical therapist.  According to the work of Dr. Barral, the organs and the other structural elements of the body work in unison.

“But when one organ cannot move in harmony with its viscera due to abnormal tone, adhesions or displacement, it works against the body’s other organ’s and muscular, membranous, fascial and osseous structures.”

The Upledger Institute

Visceral manipulation is a treatment involving specific stretching techniques to the restricted connective tissue around organs.

In some fibromyalgia patients, visceral manipulation therapy may also offer an important adjunctive therapy towards the restoration of efficient lateral-costal breathing.

A common clinical finding in the physiotherapy assessment of patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia, post-MVA, or other chronic pain condition, is a tendency towards shallow, rapid, apical breathing with a corresponding reduced ability to expand the lower portion of the rib cage during inhalation (i.e., “bucket-handle movement”).

In psychophysiological assessment, these patients often present with low resting pCO2 values and a poor ability to recover to resting values after breathing is stressed.

This poster explains the effect of an abdominal/thoracic technique, visceral manipulation therapy, towards the restoration of lateral-costal movement in the lower ribs to breakdown the adhesions formed between the connective tissue layers over individual organs.

Studies have shown that adhesions are formed when the serous fluid between connective tissues thickens and becomes more viscous in nature during the inflammatory process.

This phenomenon can occur after trauma such as motor vehicle accidents, direct blows to the rib cage, surgery, and some illnesses.

CranioSacral Therapy

CranioSacral therapy is highly regarded by many fibromyalgia sufferers. A large percentage have tried craniosacral therapy at least once, and have found it to be extremely effective at reducing their symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome. Craniosacral therapy is purported to:

• reduce widespread pain
• reduce the number of chronic headaches
• increase range of motion
• decrease chronic fatigue
• improve mood and decrease stress
• improve range of motion and flexibility
• improve sleep

For more information about Fibromyalgia  Dr. Devin Starlanyl’s website is extremely informative.  Dr. Starlanyl is one of the leading experts today in the field of fibromyalgia and she has been recommending patients to Abramson Physical Therapy for the last six years.  For more information on fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial pain please visit her at:                         

SOURCE: http://www.sover.net/~devstar/index.htm

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