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Fibromyalgia: Definition and Overview
Definition Breakdown
The name itself is defined by Latin and Greek words:
- FIBRO: Fibrous
- MYO: Muscle
- ALGIA: Pain
Condition Description
It is a chronic condition causing:
- Widespread body pain
- Fatigue
- Sleep problems
- Cognitive difficulties (like "Fibro Fog")
This results from the brain and spinal cord over-processing pain signals, making the individual more sensitive to pain.
Understanding Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain
Fibromyalgia: History and Definition
Early Misdiagnosis: The condition now known as Fibromyalgia was being misdiagnosed as far back as the 16th century under various names.
Terminology Evolution:
It was previously called rheumatism.
In the early 1900s, it was called fibrositis, for the inflammation of fibrous tissue causing pain.
The Term "Fibromyalgia": The American College of Rheumatology coined the term "Fibromyalgia" in 1976.
Current Understanding:
An understanding of the condition and its effects on the nervous system began to develop in the 1970s.
Due to advancements in understanding its underlying neurophysiological mechanisms, FM is considered a significant disease.
The disorder's biological basis involves how the brain processes pain, rather than just being a collection of symptoms with no organic cause.
Prevalence: More than 10 million Americans live with the disease. Anyone, including children, can get it. 2.7 PERCENT OF THE SPANISH POPULATION SUFFER FROM IT
Myofascial Pain (MP) Dysfunction
Myofascial pain relates to the connective tissues of the muscles. It can be a symptom or a treatment
Fascia and Trigger Points
- Fascia: It is a strong, fibrous sheet of connective tissue, collagen, and ground substance that encases every muscle fiber and organ.
- Trigger Points: MP can be felt as knot-like constrictions called trigger points.
- When the tissue is constricted or twisted into a trigger point, or the ground substance hardens, it causes pain and restricts pain-free motion.
- Trigger points cause pain upon palpation (touch) or stretch.
- When addressing them, you may observe a muscle twitch and referral pain, where applying pressure on the trigger point causes pain in another part of the body by transmitting signals through the nerves16.
- Causes of MP: MP can be caused by physical strain, surgery, inflammatory conditions that tighten muscles, holding onto an emotion, or clenching a muscle due to repetitive motion.
Fascia-Muscle Relationship: Fascia has a 100% effect on the muscle, but the muscle has no effect on the fascia.
Treatment of Myofascial Pain
- Goal of Treatment: The goal is to release the fascia to relieve the pain.
- Myofascial Release: This is a treatment where you physically manipulate the tissue to release it and address trigger points.
- It is typically done without oil.
- The aim is to help the affected tissue return to a gelatinous state, reduce tone, and lessen pain.
- Unresolved trigger points or restrictive tissue can lead to chronic pain.
Other Treatments: Acupuncture, injections, and medications are other treatments for MP dysfunction, but the Fibromyalgia Release Center uses a different approach.
Comparing Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain
Myofascial Pain (MP) Dysfunction
Location of Pain: Localized
Symptoms (Similarities): Shares symptoms such as sleep loss, depression, anxiety, and bowel problems
Persistence: Is not typical muscle pain that will go away with heat or massage; it must be addressed or it will progress.
Aggravation: Additional stress or emotion can make the condition worse until the issue is resolved.
Fibromyalgia
Location of Pain: Generally occurs throughout the body
Symptoms (Similarities): Shares symptoms such as sleep loss, depression, anxiety, and bowel problems
Persistence: Is not typical muscle pain
Aggravation: N/A
Fibromyalgia and Relationships
The Challenge of Fibro in Relationships:
- The aim of the center, besides helping one cope with Fibro, is to help save a relationship.
- Living with a partner with Fibro will take a lot of changes and a lot of coping.
- If your partner has Fibro, it is not the reason to end a relationship because there is no more sex in the marriage.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms and Sexual Dysfunction
- Fibro is a chronic musculoskeletal disease that affects physical, mental, and sexual issues.
- The disease presents with chronic painful points, musculoskeletal pain , sleep disorders, fatigue , muscle pain, and stiffness upon waking.
- Psychiatric components include emotional issues like handling stress, depression, anxiety, and problem handling.
- Fibro and its effects physically and mentally affect the libido.
- Fibro is more prevalent in women and can cause:
- Dyspareunia (painful intercourse).
- Little or lack of vaginal fluids.
- Loss of libido.
- Hard to reach orgasm, if at all.
- Besides genital and body pain, fear, loss of self-esteem, and a decreased sex life will lead to female sexual dysfunction.
- Fibro can cause lack of desire, orgasm, lubrication, and satisfaction.
- Side effects from medications taken for Fibro can cause a lot of the same symptoms.
The Partner's Perspective
The male partner may start feeling sorry for her, not wanting to hurt her in certain positions.
The partner, who still desires her , might reject her on a "good day" because he doesn't want to see her wincing during sex.
This can lead the male into a sexual dysfunction himself, turning what was a pleasurable experience into a "chore".
Solutions and Treatment at the Center
- The center can help the woman and the partner through education and treatments.
- They can help stimulate desire and work on decreased libido by eliminating discomfort.
- The center helps resolve issues with painful sex, lack of lubrication, and suggests alternatives to penetration for achieving non-painful orgasms.
- Methods include:
- Fibro Myo Massage: Addresses the inner thigh and nipple region (without touching the genitalia).
- Hydro Tub Therapy: With aromatherapy and sound frequency, this treatment helps with lubrication.
- Education: Crucial for mutual pleasure.
- Alternatives: Non-penetrative sex, more masturbation, sex toys, lube, movies, and massage.
- The goal is to make sex different, not over. The alternative portion of the sex life makes it new and exciting.
The center aims to not only treat the patient but also to save the relationship.
Myo Release Therapy
Definition: Myo Release Therapy is a multi-modality treatment where the method is used to eliminate restricted tissue that causes pain and reduces range of motion, or causes a somato-emotional response.
- Any combination of modalities in a treatment makes you a Myo Release Therapist.
- Using more than one modality to treat and release restricted tissue becomes a Myo Release Treatment.
- The use of multi-modalities along with the use of oil is what differentiates a Myo Release Massage from Myofascial Release.
History and Influences
- Developer: Philip Scolieri, an RMT from 1995 to 2019. Now an MyORT.
- Key Training/Experiences:
- Exposed to the Hydro Tub at Healthwinds Day Spa after a 1990 head-on collision.
- Learned about hydrotherapy from Audrey Foster who worked on clients like Princess Grace , Or the wife of the Shaw of Iran, a "legend" who took the Kneipp course in Germany,
- Influential instructors included James Walsaski (Orthossage founder), John McAtee, Arron Mattes, MK Hungerford and John Barnes (Myo Fascial Release Therapy).
- Key Realization: It took a variety of different therapies (Hydro Tub Therapy, Myo Release Massage/Therapeutic Massage, and Myofascial Release) to heal from his accident, which was the first time he realized the importance of multi-therapy.
- Prior Work: Developed a non-surgical facelift called the Stimuli Face Massage while working at Sanctuary Day Spa.
Myo Release Massage vs. Myofascial Release (MFR)
Key Difference:
The basic difference between a Myofascial Release Massage and a Myofascial Release Treatment is the use of oil.
John Barnes suggested that if oil is used, the therapist is not truly releasing the fascia. Well since all tissue is encased in fascia , John's statement is true ,,,, But muscle release (myo) treatment Releases Muscle Besides the Fascia .
Treatment Approach:
A Myo Release Massage Treatment is more like a "seek and destroy" treatment.
It involves using palpating skills to seek out restricted tissue.
Phil's method follows the theory of Travell but the method of Barnes, going through barriers in stages.
The tissue is brought to the collagenous barrier, or first stage of resistance, and pressure is held until a release is felt.Then and only then you apply enough pressure till you feel the next barrier ,and hold and repeat until the next of 3 releases.
Benefits and Application
Somato-Emotional Response: Myo Release Therapy treatments will usually elicit a somato-emotional response (e.g., crying, laughing, fatigue) because emotion is held in restricted tissue. The release will bring a reaction, or Somatic emotional response.
Goal: To get the tissue back to a "gelatinous state" , make the tissue free of restricted tissue and trigger points.
Infertility: The treatment can help women who have very restricted tissue and have difficulty getting pregnant, by allowing energy to flow properly. If the womens energy is not flowing probably, how could life get sparked .?
Myo Release Fibro Massage
- This is a specialized massage for clients with Fibro.
- Traditional massage can be too painful for a Fibro client.
- The technique involves:
- The patient is lightly touched, with pressure gradually increasing.
- It's a half-nude draping in a dark room.
- The massage starts distal (foot), not proximal, and moves up the leg to the glutes, back to the shoulder, and progresses down the arm to the hand.
- The process is repeated on the supine side (foot to leg, stomach, side breast, shoulder down arm to hand).
- The inner thighs and nipple area are also addressed when wanting to address libido.
Myo Release Therapist Designation
The Myo Release Therapist (MYORT) designation was something Philip Scolieri promoted.
It is for a multi-modality therapist who took specialized training to go beyond the Swedish and Clinical Massage learned in school.
These therapists needed to use another modality to release restricted tissue, which separates them from an RMT (Registered Massage Therapist) who is just graduating.