Treatments contraindicated by Fibromyalgia?

[Ellebelle]

Hi geeks!

I have been contacted by a lady interested in a pamper evening for her and her friends. She says she is interested in mini facial, massage and nails.

I'm not too informed on this condition, although I do know symptoms are muscle stiffness and being highly touch sensitive which I'm assuming would rule out massage.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on this please. My instincts are saying I couldn't treat her and that I'd need to contact my insurance company also.

Are the any geeks on here with the condition and what treatments can you have?

Many thanks
E x

 

[taggyboy]

Hi Ellebelle

You are correct in thinking that a fibro sufferer does have problems with pressure being applied on some areas of their bodies. A lot depends on how their body is behaving at the time of treatment. It can be very hard to plan around, usually no two days are the same. You can have weeks of tiredness and it really can be an effort for some sufferers to function.

You could carry out a massage but it may not be much benefit if no pressure can be applied. I'm not trained in massage, so don't quote me on that one!

Muscle stiffness is another problem and could be compared to arthritis in some cases, in fact some GP's confuse the two conditions. Although fibro has been around for some time a lot of GP's still do not recognise the condition. A bit like the condition ME years ago.

Many sufferes also have thyroid problems and this can be a problem for some peoples nails.

There is a forum with loads of information about the condition The UKFibromyalgia Forums • Index page why not pop a message on there asking how some of them would cope with a massage, facial and nail treatments. It could help you decide whether to go ahead or not.

Hope this is of help :hug:

 

[Ellebelle]

Thank you yes this is of help

I had a look at the forum on the link and searched Massage and some threads came up. It looks like some sufferers have massage as it benefits them but some find it too painful. Others find it painful afterwards but still experience relief so have it anyway. I think this is something I need to cover in an in depth consultation with the client.

I'm going to phone BABTAC tomorrow for some more advice. They may actually say its a no go for me to carry out the treatment as my qualification is a level 3 Swedish massage so not sure as this may class as treatment of a condition which may be best carried out by a physiotherapist.

I'm feeling more confident that a mini facial is fine and a file and paint is fine but again will mention this to BABTAC. I send all consultation forms off in advance so will get more info from all of them off that.

Again thank you for your help xx

 

[sarahemma]

I have fibromyalgia and i have no problems getting a massage, I spent my year training for level 3 massage whilst being diagnosed. I would just ask for lighter pressure if i was aching. It wouldnt make the condition any worse, in fact most weeks i slept better for having a massage.

 

[Ellebelle]

Thank you thats good to know :hug:

 

['chelle]

I have arthritis and fibromyalgia and have suffered from these conditions for many years. Symptoms vary from one person to another, personally I find that a massage really helps with muscle pain provided the therapist takes care not to put too much pressure on key areas, but other people with fibro are unable to tolerate any type of massage whatsoever.

The best thing to do is a really thorough client consultation, get precise details about how fibro affects your client. In the majority of fibro clients there are key points on the body that are very sensitive and painful if any sort of pressure is exerted on them, e.g the lower back at either side of the spine, either side of the breastbone at around collarbone heigh, the inner side of each knee, the inner side of each anke.... again it varies from one person to another, some fibro sufferers only suffer from some of these sensitive areas, others suffer from all of them, if you google fibro you will find a body map that shows you where these sensitive areas are, so familiarise yourself with them then check with your client which of these are relevant to her.

Your client is also likely to suffer from extreme fatigue so a beauty treatment is likely to be a relaxing experience and highly beneficial for her, it's just a case of finding out what her specific symptoms she has, finding out what level of massage she can tolerate (if any) and any key sites to avoid when massaging. If you get a bit of background knowledge about fibro and do a really thorough client consultation I guarantee your client will really appreciate your efforts.

 

[jennielawson106]

Are you qualified in hot stone? That's one of the best treatments for fibro, me and ms sufferers as the heat penetrates 5x deeper into the muscle you hardly need any pressed and its deep relaxation for the client

 

[tanfastic]

Do they all have Fibro? If they all have then I would be inclined to not offer any massage but offer a relaxing luxury facial with file, tidy and polish across the board. Many patients enjoy massage but on a nother day they cannot bear to be touched so it is a bit hit and miss for you as a therapist. Booking out a whole evening and then finding you only earn a part of what you expected due to health issues could be very frustrating.

I have Fibro and and have not been able to enjoy a massage for years. Unfortunately any pressure is too uncomfortable. I had a short spell about 5 years ago when I tried Accupuncture and that was too painful but the accupressure massage did seem to help for a while until it became too painful again. With Fibro you really do not know what is to be expected from one day to the next. Some people only have mild symptoms though so you are correct in wanting to do an indepth consultation. If the Massage sounds like it could be a problem just advize her that your insurance will not cover you. There are 18 tender points in Fibro and you may be able to offer a treatment avoiding these as they are the most painful but the pain travels and can be anywhere. Good luck and i hope it all goes well. I do hope that they can get their massages as I remember how great I used to feel after one before I got this illness, unfortunatley it could make them feel worse after

 

[Starholistics]

I have fibro and deep massage can feel bliss one hour and agony the next. I have worked with many chronic pain clients and communication and adaptability is the key here if you do offer massage and do not be surprised if many of them fall asleep during a relaxing treatment

Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek

 

[Ellebelle]

Thank you all, I'm feeling a lot better about this now I'm also amazed at a condition I previously had no knowledge of is suffered by so many. hopefully her condition allows massage. The evening is for her birthday. She did mention some of the guests also had medical conditions so obviously full consultations all round

I'm sending a covering letter off today, in it will be my price list and my pamper party price list and consultation forms and if anyone answers yes to any of the questions then please let me know ASAP prior to the evening. This will then give me a good chance to go through anything and change treatments accordingly and contact BABTAC if needed. Sound like a plan?

Thank you all for your help!,

E x

 

[Ellebelle]

Are you qualified in hot stone? That's one of the best treatments for fibro, me and ms sufferers as the heat penetrates 5x deeper into the muscle you hardly need any pressed and its deep relaxation for the client

Oh I wish I was ! Something I've always wanted to do!
E x

 

[Melk]

I massage a few Fibromalgia clients, hot stone is good. But so is remedial or relaxation. It was not a contraindication in my diploma training. I wouldn't do a lot of trigger point work unless trained as it's a symptom of the condition for these to be over active and can cause worsening of pain symptoms in some cases. Facia streaching/ lengthening is beneficial if you can apply heat with a wheat bag prior to massaging areas that would also act similar to Hotstones in allowing the muscles to relax quicker.

 

[Ellebelle]

Brilliant thanks Melk x

 

[FakeBakeLover99]

Hi sorry to jump on this thread but ladies that do massage? My client has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia would you recommend getting a doctors note before commencing with a massage ? Xxxx

 

[hazelb]

I think a lot depends on your potential client:

I am quite happy to massage fibro clients if they are going to be ongoing clients and have expressed a wish to see if massage can help with their symptoms.
In the first treatment I would use light pressure, then feedback on the after affects would determine if I could use harder pressure in subsequent treatments.

If it was a one off treatment as part of a pamper evening, I would steer them towards a main / pedi or facial.

Swedish qual is ok for this sort of massage.

 

[laurakate]

Check with your insurer. It's the only way to be completely sure. Especially because Fibro (and indeed ME) have such variable symptoms and severities for different people.

 

[WinkOfPink]

Hi geeks!

I have been contacted by a lady interested in a pamper evening for her and her friends. She says she is interested in mini facial, massage and nails.

I'm not too informed on this condition, although I do know symptoms are muscle stiffness and being highly touch sensitive which I'm assuming would rule out massage.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on this please. My instincts are saying I couldn't treat her and that I'd need to contact my insurance company also.

Are the any geeks on here with the condition and what treatments can you have?

Many thanks
E x

Hi Lovely,

I have Fibromyalgia and I'm almost Qualified in Level 3 Massage Therapy. I am completely fine with receiving massages, but communicate regularly on the pressure and any areas to avoid which are especially tender. I've massaged clients with Fibromyalgia and it's just been a case of using less pressure, making sure they're comfortable and communicating regularly.

One thing to bare in mind, it's definitely worthwhile mentioning that they will experience greater fatigue and tiredness/muscle aching, than the average person, following the treatment, but it can be great for helping poor sleep.

Hope this helps. X