When Sue finally got her diagnosis of fibromyalgia and began treatment she was to the point that she couldn’t raise her arm above her shoulder. PT for a misdiagnosis of frozen shoulder had only gotten her so far and there were days when she required assistance for the basics such as eating. A referral from her Rheumatologist and some independent research brought her to massage and Nimbus.

Since previous massages had worsened Sue’s symptoms, we began with one session of light myofascial massage with gentle stretching for 30 minutes to gauge its effect. The first day after she felt like she had exercised and then felt much better the following day including better sleep, so we began a weekly protocol of 30 minute myofascial and stretch sessions.

As Sue began to regain movement and become accustomed to the work, we gradually increased the length of time and intensity of the sessions to include direct work on Trigger and Tender Points. We now do a weekly maintenance routine of 60 or 90 minutes which may include myofascial work, stretching, lymph massage, and neuromuscular therapy depending on her needs.

The stretching we do in the studio has also helped her develop a daily self-care stretching routine that helps to retain mobility and flexibility between sessions. In particular we’ve implemented stretches that target the back, hips and shoulders which are areas of chronic flare-up.

With massage, allopathic medicine, and a good self-care routine Sue has maintained her flexibility, improved her sleep, and reduced her overall pain. She has also, under the care of her medical team, been able to reduce her pharmaceutical load. While high levels of activity or long periods of bad weather can still lead to flare-ups, overall she is able to keep up a fairly active lifestyle.