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Shoulder Pain and knots

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 1/6/2016 1:13 PM (GMT -5)
Hello,

Recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and not seeing much here on dealing with muscle knots. Can anyone recommend a way to stretch or unknot muscles? My shoulders and back have strings of knots and it's very painful to have someone massage or work on the knots but it will help them relax for about a week. Can anyone recommend a ball or roller for this?

Thanks.
Posted 1/6/2016 4:14 PM (GMT -5)
Hi, Asides, and welcome! These sound like trigger points. I get a gentle massage to help with it. I also bought The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook on Amazon and I have done trigger point therapy on myself. I took care of a "frozen" shoulder this way. I'm sure you can find the book elsewhere too.

This book has diagrams as to where to look for trigger points for the type pain you are having. For my shoulder, they were found running from my sternum to my shoulder, at the top of my shoulder, right behind the top of my shoulder, and along my neck...the same side as the affected shoulder. My massage therapist said to press as hard as I could stand, massage and repeat and then move on. I did this several times a day and got a little better each time. Now I can raise my arm straight up in the air and also behind my back. I couldn't do that before trigger point therapy.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There is a lot of info there.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine
Posted 1/7/2016 6:11 AM (GMT -5)
Hi asides, I've been seeing a cranial sacral massage therapist for my knots and aches and pains and tight muscles. I've seen other massage therapists and they didn't help me nearly as much.
Posted 1/7/2016 7:46 AM (GMT -5)
Thanks everyone,
I'm taking muscle relaxers which do help some but can't afford a professional massage right now with the medical bills I've racked up trying to get diagnosed. I'm looking at getting a wrap heating pad and massage balls I can use at home to try and treat myself a bit.
At least now I know where the constant "Curl into a ball and die" exhaustion is coming from and can work around it a bit.

AS
Posted 1/7/2016 7:50 AM (GMT -5)
Sherrine, just a note, a few of the links on the 101 page are no longer working.

Thanks.
Posted 1/7/2016 8:53 AM (GMT -5)
Thanks for letting me know! I don't regularly check it since I'm busy on the forum.

Sherrine
Posted 1/7/2016 11:24 AM (GMT -5)
I know this isn't very professional, but in a pinch, I use a tennis ball.

I just put it behind my back against the wall, and sort of move up and down, and around so that the ball rubs my knots. I can determine the amount of pressure, and find a spot, and just push back into the ball to help release pressure.

You might look a little silly, but usually my dog is the only one watching when I do it. lol

My physical therapist taught me this trick. Sometimes it's hard on my knees to do it for long, because it is sort of like doing squats.
Posted 1/7/2016 11:29 AM (GMT -5)
Actually my sister, with a degree in exercise science, recommended getting a tennis ball and doing the same. Yeah, the dog already is confused whenever I do stretches so adding wall time wouldn't be too bad.
Posted 1/7/2016 11:40 AM (GMT -5)
I do this when doing trigger point therapy on myself. You can put the tennis ball in the leg of an old nylon or in a tube sock and drape it over your shoulder. This keeps the ball from dropping accidentally.

Sherrine
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