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Massage for Pain Management
Massage can be beneficial for all types of pain. For a patient who lives with chronic pain a Massage Therapist who is familiar with their medical conditions can ease their discomfort through appropriate massage. A Massage Therapist can also help control pain by teaching relaxation techniques, breathing exercises and simple stretches. Lifestyle choices must be made to live a full and productive life. Your Massage Therapist can be your best Life Coach in helping you be as pain free as possible. The Oncology Nursing Society position on pain management states that all patients with cancer have a right to pain prevention and management and that all healthcare professionals are accountable for effective pain management (Oncology Nursing Society 2004) I see this statement from an Oncology Massage Therapist point of view; when non-drug treatment is a possibility for pain manangement we can work as support staff to do all that we are trained to do to help minimize pain.
Fibromyalgia patients live in constant pain. It can affect their work, their family life, their ability to enjoy life to its fullest. It usually takes from 3-5 years to get the correct diagnosis and during those years patients go from doctor to doctor trying to discover why they hurt constantly, can't sleep, have headaches, and an assortment of other physical ailments. It is quite frustrating for a patient to seek help from the medical community and also receive the support they need from their family.
Patients in treatment for cancer, who are also fibromyalgia patients can have a difficult time during treatment. It is very important to have conversations with your physicians and describe your pain; where it is, how often you have it, when you don't have pain and what relieves your pain.
Gentle exercise, along with massage, can also be a trememdous help to patients who are willing to exercise slowly during their treament. Tai Chi, gentle yoga, The Lebed Method, water therapy all help with increasing circulation to the muscles, decreasing metabolic waste, increasing flexibilty, and most importantly reminding the patient of how good it feels to move their body.
National Fibromyalgia Research Association Data from studies:fibromyaligia patients may have higher CA risk Pain Management Study Techniques for Fibromyalgia Study Questions and Answers about Fibromyalgia Meditation and the Course of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Women with Fibromyalgia experience significant pain during routine mammogram: Presented by New Reseach about Fibromyaligia Hysterectomy: Fibromyalgia and Surgery
Exercise Programs to Help Manage Pain: Yoga for Managing Chronic Pain of Fibromyalgia: A Study Thriving As You Survive Fibromyalgia Aquatic Exercises May Ease Fibromyalgia
Explanation of Pain Caused by Chemotherapy, Radiation and Surgery: Burning Pain After Reconstruction Surgery Post Breast Therapy Pain Syndrome Handout Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation Breast Cancer-Treatment Side Effects Can Taxol cause continuing pain
The Facts of Pain Control Survivor's Notebook for Chronic Pain Pain Sufferers need more relief Experts on the chronic pain say too many pain sufferers in the United States are untreated or undertreated. As someone who suffers from chronic pain, I understand how people who suffer quick asking for help, hate feeling that they are whiners and complainers and seek out other means of controlling pain. Hopefully they turn to appropriate healthy lifestyle choices thay may help alleviate their pain; movement therapy, massage, acupuncture, breathwork and relaxation techniques. None of these modalities will cure the pain, but they can help to control the pain.
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