MM Chapter 23: Massage for Chronic Pain

Chronic osteoarthritis usually does not cause joints to be hot, red, and swollen. However, if mild inflammation is present, you can treat the affected joints by applying ice. The following are common treatment techniques when working with osteoarthritis: Warm the tissue: Hot, moist hydrotherapy can be applied before massage techniques to warm the tissue and […]

Osteoarthritis is most often caused by wear and tear due to repetitive stress, muscular imbalances that place additional stress on joints, a ligament laxity that causes joint instability, overweight that increases the stress on joints, hormonal imbalances, nutritional insufficiencies, and aging. For example, regular physical activity like running places cumulative stress on joints like the

Massage is contraindicated when a client with RA is experiencing a flare-up in which joints are red, hot, swollen, and painful. If the client is in remission, the joints may be stiff but will not be swollen, hot, or red. During this phase, massage can help maintain available range of motion and decrease stress, which

Autoimmune diseases like RA occur when the immune system malfunctions and starts to treat normal body cells and tissues as if they were an infectious agent. A person exposed to some types of streptococcus bacteria, some retroviruses, or the bacteria that causes Lyme disease may develop RA. A protein in synovial membranes is structured similarly

Massage is an effective support strategy for people living with fibromyalgia. Remember to carefully assess a client with fibromyalgia before each session and customize the massage to how they feel at that moment. Clients often vary widely in their needs based on how they feel on a particular day, and they often have very different

Researchers report that fibromyalgia could be triggered by a wide array of factors, including soft-tissue trauma, neuroendocrine disturbances, abnormal nociception (a term for pain perception), and many others.10 The cerebrospinal fluid of fibromyalgia patients demonstrates higher than normal levels of the neurotransmitters substance P and nerve growth factor. These neurotransmitters increase tissue vasodilation, stimulate nerve

Research demonstrates that massage effectively reduces pain. Although the mechanism by which pain is reduced is not always clear, certain techniques have proven reliable. Promote relaxation: Any pain information received by the brain signals a threat to survival, and so triggers the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. The increase in blood pressure, heart

Chronic pain is pain that persists for a period of time past the point of typical injury recovery. Chapter 22 described how a musculoskeletal injury triggers an inflammatory response and the body begins to progress through the stages of healing. Most people respond well to treatment and return to full strength and function within a

This brief discussion of the anatomy of pain is intended only as an introduction (Fig. 23-1). Review your anatomy and physiology textbook for more in-depth information about the conduction of nerve impulses and pathways to the brain. Figure 23-1. Pain stimuli are conveyed to brain centers via two types of axons. Alpha-beta axons are myelinated

Acute physical pain, an essential part of the body’s defense system, alerts a person that something is wrong. It causes changes in behavior and promotes learning. A person takes action to end a painful experience (e.g., removes a hand from a hot surface) and learns from the experience to avoid activities that cause pain and