Fibromyalgia (Stop the Suffering)

Unlock the Tools to Transform Lives with Massage Therapy for Fibromyalgia

As a massage therapist, you already know the profound impact your work can have on improving your clients' well-being. But when it comes to clients with fibromyalgia—a complex, chronic condition affecting up to 5% of adults in North America—understanding the nuances of treatment is essential to providing effective care.

This comprehensive continuing education course is designed to equip you with targeted techniques and evidence-based approaches to address the unique challenges faced by clients with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is more than just widespread muscle and connective tissue pain; it often comes with fatigue, disrupted sleep, anxiety, and depression—symptoms that can significantly impact your clients' quality of life. Research consistently demonstrates the therapeutic benefits of massage for fibromyalgia, including reduced pain, improved sleep, and lowered stress hormones. This course will not only expand your knowledge of this condition but also refine your hands-on skills to meet the specific needs of this growing client demographic.

What You’ll Learn

In this course, you’ll develop proficiency in a variety of techniques that go beyond basic massage, tailored to address the 18 pain points and accompanying symptoms of fibromyalgia. These techniques include:

1. Passive Neuromuscular Re-Education (Strain/Counterstrain): Perfect for clients experiencing severe pain, these passive techniques gently release tension without requiring muscular participation from the client.
2. Active Isometric Neuromuscular Re-Education Exercises: Empower your stronger, healthier clients with active methods that encourage the release of chronic muscle tightness through controlled isometric and isotonic exercises.
3. Lymphatic Drainage Techniques: Learn to optimize the body’s natural detoxification process through precise pumping motions targeting the four major lymph drainage points.
4. Abdominal Massage: Discover how abdominal work not only stimulates peristalsis but also provides a soothing massage for vital organs, benefiting clients’ overall health.
5. Mobilizations and Stretching: Implement passive stretches that enhance muscle mobility and reduce stiffness, particularly in commonly affected areas like the neck, shoulders, and hips.
6. Reflexology for PMS Relief: Explore scientifically-backed reflexology techniques that address PMS, a frequent and disruptive symptom among fibromyalgia patients.

Why This Course Matters

By integrating these specialized techniques into your practice, you will provide your fibromyalgia clients with relief from pain and discomfort while addressing secondary symptoms like anxiety, fatigue, and poor sleep quality. Each method has been selected and tested, with supporting research from respected journals like the European Journal of Pain and the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology.

Whether you're new to working with fibromyalgia clients or looking to enhance your existing skillset, this course offers you the opportunity to become a trusted expert in providing relief and hope to a population that often feels misunderstood or overlooked.

Take the next step in your professional journey—empower yourself with the tools to transform lives. Your clients deserve the best care, and this course will ensure you’re ready to deliver it.

Join us and learn how to provide tailored, evidence-based treatments that set your practice apart. Register today to unlock your full potential and make a difference where it matters most!

About This Course

• Massage Therapy continuing education CEUs earned: 16
• Course classification: Kinesthetic (course materials teach specific techniques to use on clients during a massage therapy session.)
• Approved by: Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by the NCBTMB (Provider #280672-00) as a continuing education Approved Provider. Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by Florida (#MCE-326), and New York (#0019). Our courses are also valid for most individual states, as well as with the AMTA and ABMPfor your membership renewal. Some states limit how many hours can be done online or by home study. Please refer to our State Guidelines section for specific information about your state. Laws can and do change, and your state will hold you responsible for knowing the laws that apply to you. 
• Attention Florida Massage Therapists: This course is approved by Florida as an approved distance learning course for the required hours of "relevant to massage therapy" category hours through 8/31/2025. You are still allowed to complete the 12 required "relevant to massage therapy" hours via approved online courses through at least 2025. The approval number for this course is 20-798084.
• CE Broker Reporting:  Institute of Somatic Therapy will automatically report your hours to CE Broker in applicable states ONLY IF you have provided your license number in your online account with us. You can verify your license information by logging on to our website, and reviewing your account information. If your license is not shown there, please select “edit” to include it. We generally report to CE Broker weekly.
  

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Tuition:$129 US Dollars

Course Description

“Fibro” mean fibrous tissue (connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments), “My” means muscles, “Algia” means pain. Therefore, fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles and connective tissues of the body. Other names for fibromyalgia include fibromyitis, fibromyositis, fibrositis, and tension myalgia.

Who has fibromyalgia?  In North America, the estimates are that 5% of the adult population has fibromyalgia. As many as 90% of the patients are female. While fibromyalgia can start in childhood, the incidence of fibromyalgia is found to increase with age. One book estimated that eight percent of the school population exhibits symptoms of juvenile fibromyalgia.

Therapeutic benefits of massage have been proven in a wide variety of conditions, and fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are no exception.

In a study comparing massage therapy to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, the massage resulted in improved sleep patterns, decreased pain, less fatigue, fewer incidences of anxiety and depression, and decreased cortisol levels. In addition to being listed on the Touch Research Institute web page, this study was published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, volume 2, pages 18 – 22.

The European Journal of Pain published a recent study showing that massage relieved pain, reduced depression, and improved the quality of life in people with fibromyalgia. General studies on massage prove that it lowers levels of stress hormones, increases production of serotonin in the brain, and leads to improved sleep. All of these results benefit fibromyalgia patients.

The Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Volume 3, Number 3, 1997 included a study of massage which indicated that patients receiving one-half hour of massage twice a week for five weeks showed less depression, pain, cortisol levels, anxiety, stress and increases in dopamine levels and enhanced sleep. The patient’s decrease in symptoms began immediately after receiving the first massage, and continued to decrease throughout the duration of the study.

Techniques that are taught in this course are useful for most clients, since the 18 pain points of fibromyalgia are common areas for tension and pain, such as the neck, shoulders, and hips. This course will teach you:

Passive Neuromuscular Re-Education Strain/CounterstrainThese are a series of tension releasing techniques demonstrated on all 18 pain points of fibromyalgia. These are passive techniques, where the patient simply receives the treatment without muscular participation. These are excellent to use in patients who are experiencing extreme pain.

Active Isometric Neuromuscular Re-Education ExercisesThese are a series of isometric/isotonic neuromuscular re-education techniques demonstrated on all 18 pain points of fibromyalgia. These are active techniques that are very effective for promoting the release of chronically tight muscles. With these exercises, the patient is actively involving the muscles. Use this technique for patients that are stronger and healthier.

Lymph gland work at major lymph drainage pointsThere are four major lymph drainage points in the body. The technique involves pumping motions designed to promote the flow of the lymphatic fluid through these points.

Abdomen Working the abdomen will not only promote peristalsis, but also gently massage all the major organs in this region.

Mobilizations/Stretching A series of passive stretches to promote muscle mobility.

Reflexology targeting PMS, a scientifically proven technique for combating a common ailment associated with fibromyalgia.

Student Testimonials

"This is the best online training I have ever had. Thank you for creating it! It far exceeded my expectations. I liked your extra on TMJ, Morton's Foot Syndrome, Reflexology for PMS, and Aromatherapy, and all your wonderful tips in the Marketing and Sales section. Your video selections were all excellent and so helpful in effectively cementing the critical concepts you were teaching. I will be working with them to practice and assisimlate the techniques. And kudos for the way you brought in the main ones as a quick review during your closing comments! A special treat. I feel a level of confidence and enthusiasm that surprises me, and I look forward to integrating all I have learned into my practice. With utmost respet and appreciation, Rebecca". -- Rebecca Mimms,  Alexandria, Virginia

“I must say this was the most thorough, informational and effective online class I have done the entire time I have been licensed since 2010. Warm regards, Elyse Howard” - St. Petersburg, FL.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Who is this course designed for?
This course is designed for licensed massage therapists seeking to expand their skill set and learn specialized techniques to better serve clients with fibromyalgia and related chronic conditions.

Do I need prior experience working with clients who have fibromyalgia?
No prior experience is required. This course provides a thorough introduction to fibromyalgia and step-by-step instruction in techniques tailored to this condition, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced therapists.

Will the techniques taught in this course be useful for clients without fibromyalgia?
Absolutely. The techniques, such as lymphatic drainage, neuromuscular re-education, and passive stretching, are effective for addressing tension and pain in common areas like the neck, shoulders, and hips, making them valuable for most clients.

How will this course benefit my practice?
By adding these specialized techniques to your repertoire, you’ll be able to attract and effectively treat a broader client base, including those with chronic pain conditions. This can set you apart as an expert in therapeutic massage for fibromyalgia and enhance your professional reputation.

Are these techniques supported by research?
Yes. The course content is grounded in evidence-based research, including studies published in respected journals such as the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and the European Journal of Pain. These studies demonstrate the effectiveness of massage therapy for improving pain, sleep, and overall quality of life in clients with fibromyalgia.

Can I use the techniques immediately in my practice?
Yes. The course is designed to provide you with practical, hands-on knowledge that can be applied right away to benefit your clients.

For more information on this, or any of our courses, please use the "Contact Us" link at the top of each page. Thank you.