[canagirl]

A while back I had a massage and it set me off in burning.... I don't know if I evere recovered from that because 2-3 weeks later I started nortriptiline which helped to lesson the severity of the burning.

Now, on gabapentin I would like to a massage again... My question is this

Will getting a massage cause damage to my already severely damaged small fibers? I don't want to damage them further.

[Kitt]

I sure couldn't have deep tissue message. One time it was done (never really knew that was being done as I never asked for such a thing) and I paid for it with burning and all of the rest. I still can't sit very much at all with my chair reclined. I always could before. Never again. Some can take it - not me.

[zkrp01]

Originally Posted by canagirl

A while back I had a massage and it set me off in burning.... I don't know if I evere recovered from that because 2-3 weeks later I started nortriptiline which helped to lesson the severity of the burning.

Now, on gabapentin I would like to a massage again... My question is this

Will getting a massage cause damage to my already severely damaged small fibers? I don't want to damage them further.

"once burnt twice shy" Also I remember that you are having concerns about your diet. If you instigate more changes than you can track, you will not be able to associate symptomatic changes to the coresponding intervention. Granma also said "Haste makes waste". Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

[madisongrrl]

Originally Posted by canagirl

Will getting a massage cause damage to my already severely damaged small fibers? I don't want to damage them further.

The massage isn't causing damage to your small fibers. It's just setting them off. In the acute phase of my full body small fiber neuropathy symptoms, I got a massage and thought I was going to die. After a few months of ramping up of my gabapentin, I did have a massage and it was okay. Those were they only two massages I had after my symptoms started. I do have full body symptoms and my arms are somewhat damaged (temperature loss and they always feel like they have been scrubbed with steel wool) so the last thing I want is someone touching me.

[canagirl]

Thanks for this. Aside from everything else I'm pretty sure I have at least a bit of compression happening in my sboulders and elbows. My pinky and ring fingers have horrible tingling ( stronger than the rag of my hand) and the area behind my elbow is so sensitive I can't touch it without shock and tingles going down to my hand. I can touch the nerve and feel it move back there. So I wanted to try a massage to see if it helped loosen things up back there. But not if it would cause further damage!!

[ellsac]

to echo what was already said, massage wouldn't damage nerves. It CAN irritate sensitive nerves, but one thing to keep in mind, is an uptick in symptoms does not mean your nerves are getting more damaged at that moment. It simply means they don't process sensations properly.

It'll take time, but eventually you might be able to start pinpointing things that are irritants, and can trigger symptoms...but again, it doesn't mean those things are damaging your nerves further. There are certainly some things that CAN damage them further-and I know it can be frustrating to try and figure out the differences-but I just wanted to clarify that.

[Healthgirl]

Be careful with massage. I have been set off very badly many times. It feels good while its happening and then with in two hours I have to take a muscle relaxer because it triggers major spasms and shooting pains.

[Susanne C.]

I would have to agree, I can't imagine a more likely trigger for all over burning than even a light massage, and such a massage wouldn't do much to loosen tight muscles.