Chronic Pain Relief Massage Therapy

Chronic Pain Relief Massage Therapy Case Study 1: Trauma.

The Cause

For 25 years my client suffered from chronic pain in her pelvis and lower back after falling off a horse. At the time they had been referred to rehabilitation therapy to correct her hip, but the pain never completely disappeared. Over the years the pain got worse. She had recently tried Chiropractors but didn’t like that form of therapy. They practised yoga as a way of strengthening her back, but at times this was also too painful.

When assessing the level of discomfort and pain a client is in I ask them to scale it between 1 and 10. This gives me a place to start from with what type of treatments I use. It also acts as a way to track the effectiveness of treatments over a period of time.

The Treatment

The first time I met my client their pain level was 9/10 of discomfort. After a lengthy consultation we discussed what outcome they would like from these treatments. My client wanted a reduction in pain so they could sleep through the night without waking up and to go about their daily life pain free.

Their initial consultation showed there was an obvious imbalance through her pelvis, where muscles had become weak and/or tight. The first treatment was based on heat, relaxation and fascial work all within my client’s tolerable pain level. The aim was to de-sensitise the brain receptors sending the pain messages, and for the muscle tissue to relax. After their first treatment her pain had dropped to 6/10.

Her pain remained at this level when I saw her a week later where I changed the treatment. I used heat again but incorporated trigger point therapy to release the tightness in the muscle tissue and gentle stretches. Following this treatment, her pain reduced further to 4/10.

Over a period of 6 treatments her pain level continued to drop. This gave my client confidence to start some easy exercises to perform to get strength back into her glutes. We reduced her pain level down to 1/10 which was totally life changing! I now see this client on a monthly basis for maintenance massage sessions.

Chronic Pain Relief Massage Therapy Case Study 2: Fibromyalgia.

The Cause

I met Angie a year ago.  She was recommended to me by her Chiropractor.

Angie suffers with Fibromyalgia and was in a lot of pain, mainly in her lower back, hips and groin.  She also suffered with general stiffness all over. Her pain levels ranged from 5/10 to 10/10 at times.  She was becoming more and more dependent on her mobility scooters, and only able to walk for a matter of minutes.

The Treatment

Angie’s treatment was based around her chronic pain, so very gentle and relaxing.  To start with lots of myofascial release, and then I was able to incorporate heat and some deeper techniques into her treatments. Angie kept a pain, and sleep diary for me, and over time we noticed the improvements in these two areas.  Initially I saw Angie for 6 treatments (3 weekly, followed by 3 fortnightly), we then moved to maintenance (starting with one a month, and now one every six to eight weeks). Today, Angie is now enjoying walking (she has sold her mobility scooters), cycling and thai chi on the beach!  

Here is what Angie has to say.

“I was recommended to Gill by my Chiropractor who felt I would benefit from Gills therapy to help with my ongoing health issues including disrupted sleep and muscle pain caused by fibromyalgia. Since starting treatment with Gill, my pain levels have reduced considerably and my sleep quality has improved massively which in turn is making my life a lot more bearable. I can now look forward to the future, knowing I can have regular maintenance treatments with Gill.

Gill is lovely, and has made me feel very safe, despite being in constant pain.  I relax straight away with her confident manner and competent skills. I highly recommend Gill.”