There can be many causes for “fibro.”  If you can start getting rid of one cause at a time, it can become way less bothersome.

Cold therapy is usually the treatment of choice for muscles that are uncomfortable but some people with fibro cannot tolerate the cold.  They prefer heat.  But if you feel a little worse with heat, that means it’s not the right treatment for you, either.

I had a client diagnosed with Fibromyalgia who, at first, could only tolerate very light touch and who had a hard time lying on the padded treatment table for more than 30 minutes total.

Basically, she started having weekly massage (which she only has now when she feels the need)  and when she started feeling better eventually started doing tai chi (which she now does several times a week.)

Massage and tai chi helped her attain better posture and more balance and strength so her symptoms became less.

She was able to reduce and then get off all of her pain meds and now takes them only rarely if she needs to.  And now she
takes a much lighter dose when she does feel the need.

There is a program at http://FibromyalgiaSurvivalGuide.com  which pretty much covers all of the causes and natural self help for people with fibro.  You might find the website to be interesting.  The program itself is less than $40.

There are a couple of pop-ups on that page that are a little annoying (in my opinion) but the program does have very good information.   Just reading the webpage can give you more insight.

When doctors give the diagnosis of fibro, they typically mean, “I am acknowledging that you have pain.  I don’t know why.”

The good news is you aren’t going to die.  Fibro is a syndrome, not a disease.

Well, just like most every other syndrome we get, there can be reasons.  And when we get rid of the reasons, we feel better.

It’s important to know that bodies heal all the time.     We just have to give them what they need.

Typical causes of Fibro include trauma or injury, dietary deficiencies, infections or illnesses and posture.  And I have a strong feeling that most of these can be reversed.  If you get rid of the possible causes and you will be on the road to getting rid of your fibromyalgia naturally.

Muscles are the most common cause of aches and pains.  Out of balance muscles actually cause arthritis!

There’s a really good chance that your posture is to blame.  Muscles and joints get strained and achey when posture is poor. Try these tips for better posture:

1. If your couch or chair makes you lean back and move your head forward, use a different seat or a pillow behind your back to help you sit more upright.
2. Lift your chest.
3. Lift the crown of your head.
4. Squeeze your shoulder blades toward your spine. (Can you do that? You used to be able to. It may take a little practice.) That will help you strengthen your back muscles.
5. Press your upper arms into your bed when you lay on your back.  It helps the same way as squeezing.
6. Press the back of your head gently into the bed. First make your head and neck comfortable. Press only the head, not the neck.  This helps strengthen your neck muscles.
7. Turn your head gently from side to side several times (the ‘no’ movement.) Gently do the ‘yes’ movement.  This helps relax your neck muscles.
8. Prop behind your waist when you are seated.  This helps you sit up straight.

If you feel that you need more help there are lots more articles to discover about the causes of upper back pain at http://SimpleBackPainRelief.com   It’s another of my natural pain relief websites.

If you take steps to correct your posture you will have happier muscles.  And who knows?  Your ‘arthritis’ may just go away naturally. 

But this has been an amazing week because I have received so many emails and questions about pain following massage.

That’s not good!

But massage IS good.

So here’s the deal.

1.  There are all types of massage practitioners.  Some have a little training and some have a ton.  Depending on the location some have no training!  Some understand bodies and some really don’t.  It all depends on who taught them and the filters the information passed through on the way to the practitioners’ brain.  It depends on personalities and all kinds of things.

2.  The most common thing that massage practitioners do wrong is spending most or all of the session on muscles in the back.  Those might be the muscles that are complaining the most but those complaints are often only symptoms.

The cause of the symptoms is often somewhere else.  Back muscles may be strained because shorter muscles in the legs or front of the body are pulling you forward.

Most practitioners do NOT understand how bodies work but they often can do a great relaxation or stress reduction massage.

But a full-body massage treats ALL of the areas of the body so you end up being balanced.  That’s the goal.  Balance.

Whether you have a complaint (like back pain) or just want a lovely vacation in an hour, please ask your massage practitioner to treat your whole body.

A legitimate practitioner knows how to drape modestly so nothing will be exposed that he or she shouldn’t see or touch.

• So can massage get rid of muscles aches and pain?
• Can it help you feel better?
• Is it the best natural medicine in the world for all ages?

YES!

But you may have to direct your massage so that it benefits you most.  You may know more than your practitioner does.  After all, it is your body. 

And you might have to search for the therapist who is best for you because massage is not “one size fits all.”

The purpose of those bones in the bottom of your pelvis really is for you to sit on!   But lots of us forget to sit up straight on those bones.

We slouch.  We slump.  We sit on our spines instead of on the sit bones.

That makes your tailbone very unhappy.  It complains by causing pain.

It takes a couple of steps to start getting rid of tailbone pain.

First, start sitting properly.  It may feel wrong but it’s necessary for the happiness of your tailbone and the health of your spine.

Tuck your tail all the way back into the place where the seat meets the back of the chair.  Lift your chest.  Put a rolled towel behind your waist to help correct your posture.

There are muscles that attach to your tailbone.  They are your gluteal or buttock muscles.  You can use a tennis ball or similar ball to help them relax.

Just lay the ball on the floor (preferably) and place your gluteal muscles on the ball.  Move just a bit to find tight, tender places in the muscle.  Then lay on the first tight place for about 5 minutes.

The tight muscle will start to relax and you will notice that you don’t really feel the ball so much.  Then move the ball to the next place.

Do NOT put your tailbone on the ball!  Just put it on muscle.

Since these muscles attach to your tailbone, when they relax they take pressure off the tailbone.

Also, if you are short, chairs and seats may not fit you.  If that’s the reason you sit on your tailbone then make the chair seat shorter.  You can do this by placing a pillow or two on the back of the chair.  That will move the back closer to you.

If you take these steps you can start getting rid of the pain in your tailbone naturally!

Here’s a quote from Lori.  This is just part of the email she sent about her shoulder pain relief success:

“When I read your article that explained how the muscles of the shoulder can become imbalanced – I knew I was on to something – you described many of my issues and the subsequent pain perfectly. I immediately put some of your tips into practice – the shoulder rolls, the arm circles and using the bed as a resistance training tool..and even though the movements were painful at first, I kept at it because it was a good pain, if that makes any sense.”

• Lori took action.
• It was uncomfortable but she continued.
• Lori feels better.

The shoulder rolls are lifting your shoulders and rolling them back, up and back, up and back.

The arm circles video is at http://budurl.com/CircleArms

The resistance training using your bed as a tool can be found in articles at http://SimpleStrengthening.com

And the ‘good pain’?  That is how it feels when your body says, “Whew!  That is exactly what I was waiting for!”

If you or a therapist presses into an area and it just hurts or feels ‘wrong’ that is not the place to press.  But when you or someone presses into an area that says to you, “Wow, that hurts!  Don’t stop!”  that is the place to treat.

So educate yourself.  Take advantage of the free information that is provided to you here and at my other natural pain relief websites.  You can find them at http://ThePainReliefCoach.com

And take action!  That is how you can get rid of your shoulder pain naturally.

The sciatic nerve is as large as your finger and is usually found behind some of the large gluteal muscles.

Nerves hate to be pressed on and so the sciatic nerve will complain by causing symptoms of pain or nervy sensations in your hip, leg or even in your foot!

Here’s the link to an article with directions on how to help those gluteal muscles relax.  If they are the cause of your sciatica it will make a big difference.

http://www.simplebackpainrelief.com/sciatica/how-to-massage-gluteal-muscles-for-back-pain-relief/

When your jaw gets tight or your head moves forward the muscles around your upper back, neck and face get strained and tight.  Tight muscles clamp down on nerves and blood vessels.  The result is a muscle tension headache.

What natural steps should you take to get rid of tension headaches?

1.  Watch your posture.  Try to keep it neutral and straight.  A strong back will help with this.

2.  Use a pillow or rolled towel behind your waist to help you sit upright.

3.  Ice the back of your neck.  Try to wrap your cold pack all the way down to the notch between your collar bones.  Some people find heat to be more beneficial.

That’s it in a nutshell:  Muscles cause painful tension headaches.

When you are stuck at the desk do the same thing that is recommended during air travel:

I call them ‘butt-ups.’  Squeeze your buttocks; make the buttock muscles tight so that you get pushed up.

If you did this several times, you would look like you are bouncing.  Do it several times in a row.  The muscle contractions get the blood and lymph fluid moving.  You can do this with large or small squeezes.  You can also alternate sides–left, right.

Also, to help reduce the swelling in your legs, at other times, lift one foot and rotate the ankle several times.  Alternate legs and directions.  Also do toe lifts (lift your toes toward your knee.)

If you are able to stand for a few minutes, do a couple of toe raises.  And lift a leg behind you.  Lift one leg at a time behind your body to stretch out the front side.

You should have enough room behind the back of your chair seat and your thighs so that you can slide your fingers between seat and thigh.  That way there is no pressure on your thighs.

But you don’t want to have too much bend in your knees, either.  The solution may require some trial on your part.  Sometimes sliding the  feet forward a bit helps.  Or maybe you can create a seat with a downward tilt to it by placing a folded towel on the seat and see whether that helps?

Or maybe lots more standing breaks?

http://www.simplestrengthening.com/2008/03/30/legs-feeling-weak-or-achey-how-balancing-can-help-your-legs-get-stronger/

That link will take you to an article about  how to balance on one foot.  That uses ALL the muscles in your leg and so squeezes the blood and lymph vessels to keep the fluid moving.

Also, if you notice that you are leaning forward in your chair to do your reports or desk work,  strive to sit more upright and create less angle between your thighs and abdomen.  Maybe you can pull your chair in closer to the desk?

I know there are all of these various issues that we have to adapt to as we get older like vision issues, etc., but sometimes making little adjustments or adaptations can make a big  difference in our comfort and in our future comfort.  That’s why you want to take steps now to reduce that work-day swelling–to keep your blood vessels healthy and flexible.

And here’s the overall picture of how we want to be:  Strong back side but soft calves, head over our shoulders rather than in front, breastbone raised.

And walk!  Walking is excellent for legs.  Get a free report here about the secrets of happy walkers:  http://WalkingSmart.com

I hope these steps will help you start getting rid of the swelling in your legs soon.

You can feel the muscle that crosses your jaw joint if you place your fingers over the joint and pretend you are chewing.  That’s the massater.  You have two–one on each side.

You can also feel the temple muscles by placing your fingers on the sides of your head in line with your eyebrows and pretending to chew.   Again, this muscle is on each side of your head.  It the temporalis muscle.

There is a depression in your skull on each side and the temporalis muscle is packed in there.  It’s actually a pretty good sized muscle.

The red area in the picture is the muscle and the white area that attaches to the lower jaw bone is the tendon.

Beside causing head and jaw pain, these muscles can also cause pain in your teeth!  It’s not your teeth, though.  It’s trigger points in the muscle that fire into your teeth and cause it to feel like tooth pain.

What can you do to make the temporalis muscle relax so it will bother you less?

1.  Pull your hair.  If you do this correctly it is called ‘Cranial Fascial Release.’  Here’s how:

Glide your fingers through your hair at the scalp over your temple muscles.  Close or clench your fingers with hair laced between them.  As you do this, you will start pulling your hair at the roots or scalp.  You will feel the pull or stretch on your head.

This is different from holding your hair away from your head and pulling.  One woman told me, “Oh yes, I know about hair pulling–I had sisters!”  Ouch!

This type of pulling will help lift the skin and muscle and fascia from the bone.  It will help relax the muscle.

At first it will feel quite tender but if you can hold it for several seconds you will feel less tenderness.  That’s because the muscle is relaxing.

After a few sessions you can slightly twist your hand after you clench your fingers around your hair at the scalp.  Twist your clenched hand to the right and hold until you feel the muscle start to be less tender.  And then twist in the opposite direction.  It’s usually too tender to lift and twist the first time or two.

As you can see in the picture, this is a large, wide muscle.  Work the whole muscle by moving your hand to adjacent areas and starting the pulling again in each area.

You don’t have to do the whole muscle or both temple muscles at once.  You can do a little and take a break if your hand gets tired.  Just come back to it later when you are ready.

Some therapists try pressing into the temporalis muscles.  This doesn’t seem to work as well as pulling them and I, personally, find it to be pretty annoying.

2.  Apply either warm compresses or cold packs to these muscles.  If heat is the wrong choice, your muscles will feel a bit worse rather than better and more relaxed.   If that happens, switch to cold packs.  You can also use contrast therapy by applying heat, cold, heat, cold.

The good thing about applying heat or cold therapy is that you are also treating nearby muscles at the same time.  Check out the Ice & Heat Category here on the right hand side.

3.  There’s a good chance that the muscles at the base of your head are also involved.  Heat might be a fine treatment there at the top of your neck because heat is usually the treatment of choice for muscles.

But if the nerves are aggravated at the base of your skull then cold therapy is the way to go.

4.  Chewing food and gum may aggravate your symptoms OR chewing may help your muscles to relax.  It depends on the cause of your jaw pain and how tight the muscles are.

Pretending to chew with your lips closed and teeth apart may help your chewing muscles to relax.

5.  Posture can cause jaw pain.  Check your posture.  If your head is forward (in front of your body) rather than over your body it strains the muscles around the jaw.

If you have upper back and neck pain or knots in your back, there is a great chance that your posture needs improvement.

Gravity is always trying to pull us forward and down.  We can counteract that by keeping a strong back side from knees to head.  There are articles at http://SimpleStrengthening.com to help you strengthen your backside.

If you take action you can help your temporalis muscles relax and help your jaw to feel better naturally.

1.  Stretch your arm up and slightly backward.

2.  Squeeze your shoulder blades toward your spine.  Or try to touch your elbows together behind your back.  You probably can’t really do that but it gets your muscles moving in the right direction.

3.  Place your mouse in front of your body near the midline as close as possible.

4.  Switch to your left or opposite hand.  This really is doable and will only take you a couple of days to get used to it.

5.  Roll your shoulders up and back, up and back.

6.  Keep the elbow of your mouse hand next to your waist.  No stretching forward allowed!  It’s the stretching that aggravates the muscles near your shoulder blade.

There is a little video at http://budurl.com/CircleArms that will help you learn how to balance all of the muscles around your shoulder.

And if your hands or arms are having uncomfortable symptoms, there are lots of articles and information at http://CarpalTunnelPainReliefNow.com

When you take steps to balance your muscles and stop doing the things that are causing your symptoms, you can get rid of that ‘mouse shoulder pain.’