While at Heart & Soul Massage Therapy, I consistently worked with many MS clients referred through the MS Center of SW FL over the past four years. With Heart & Soul’s abrupt and permanent closure in June 2020, it left many clients unable to connect with their therapists, including so many MS Center clients that are greatly helped through massage.
For any client that has a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, you are eligible to receive one 60-minute therapeutic massage each month at $70.
This offer is for both new clients and also any clients previously seen and referred through the MS Center of SWFL.
Contact me now at 239-424-9112 to set up your appointment.
What Is MS?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) involves an immune-mediated process in which an abnormal response of the body’s immune system is directed against the central nervous system (CNS).
- The CNS is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Within the CNS, the immune system causes inflammation that damages myelin — the fatty substance that surrounds and insulates the nerve fibers — as well as the nerve fibers themselves, and the specialized cells that make myelin.
- When myelin or nerve fibers are damaged or destroyed in MS, messages within the CNS are altered or stopped completely.
- Damage to areas of the CNS may produce a variety of neurological symptoms that will vary among people with MS in type and severity.
- The damaged areas develop scar tissue which gives the disease its name – multiple areas of scarring or multiple sclerosis.
- The cause of MS is not known, but it is believed to involve genetic susceptibility, abnormalities in the immune system and environmental factors that combine to trigger the disease.
- People with MS typically experience one of four disease courses (types of MS). There are over a dozen treatments to help modify the MS disease process.
Massage Therapy can have such a direct impact on the day to day quality of life for people suffering with MS. Massage is one of the “boots on the ground” therapeutic options available that is both non-invasive and easily accessible to so many.
Massage therapy can be helpful in easing certain symptoms and improving overall quality of life for clients with MS. Massage can help decrease pain, fatigue, and muscle spasticity. MS symptoms and response to massage therapy treatment may be different from person to person, and even within the same individual from time to time. It’s important to see a massage therapist who can assess your needs and responses, and adjust accordingly.
Links to MS Resources:
The MS Center of Southwest is celebrating its 20th Anniversary. The MS Center is an independent nonprofit organization that provides valuable resources for community members and their families who are affected by multiple sclerosis. The MS Center is a unique community center, supporting mind, body, and spirit.
“The MS Center helps patients grow in hope, community, and strength,” says Shannon Diener, MS Center Board Chair, donor, & advocate. “It is a community that helps one another, while keeping their mind and body active so they are more hopeful and stronger.”
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Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) use massage for prevention or relief of the following symptoms:
- Spasticity — Massage can help relax muscles and enhance range of motion exercises.
- Pain — Massage is useful in any condition in which a reduction in swelling or mobilization of tissues leads to pain relief. It can provide pleasurable stimulation, giving the person with MS a chance to relax, and relieving anxiety and fear. If massage is used as an aid for controlling pain, it should be used under the advice of a physician.
- Poor circulation — Massage can increase blood flow through superficial veins by use of friction, and through deeper arteries and veins by use of petrissage (massaging of skin that is gently lifted and squeezed). Massage can also increase capillary dilation through light stroking.
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Talk about your expectations. Be specific about what you hope to get out of it so your therapist can tailor therapy to your needs. For example, they might use different techniques to address pain or muscle stiffness than they would if you want to focus on stress reduction. This is a common conversation for massage therapists, so you don’t feel uncomfortable bringing it up.
Most people with MS are heat sensitive, though others are more sensitive to cold. Stay away from any methods that involve hot tubs or therapeutic baths. These can make MS symptoms worse for some people.
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The study authors concluded: “MT as delivered in this study is a safe and beneficial intervention for management of fatigue and pain in people with MS. Decreasing fatigue and pain appears to correlate with improvement in quality of life, which is meaningful for people with MS who have a chronic disease resulting in long-term health care needs.”
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