Massage and stn
 

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.

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.

Grandma said
 

"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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

Hi canagirl,

For me, who has burning pain from the touch of my clothes, I cannot imagine anything more unbearable than a massage. I can't even be hugged by my Grandkids, only my Daughter's dog can touch my legs.

I think what you need is professional dx and PT on your arm and hand before a possible trapped/pinched nerve deteriorates.

Dave.

Hi Dave,

I agree about the diagnosis but the problem is no neuro has taken me seriously so far. Hopefully, this resolves now that I have a positive skin biopsy.

My elbow is so sensitive, and everytime I mention it, it's like the docs don't even hear me. They don't respond to me at all. All along they have just been telling me I'm stressed and talking to me like a child. I don't have a neuro appointment for a while. just wanted to get something going before it does detoriate. It's been so long already.

I hurt to the touch too. but I think mine is different than yours. Mine generally doesn't hurt during the touch but after. And it's not 100% of the time. Sometimes I can scratch myself and be ok and others I burn for minutes afterwards. My original massage that set my burning off really bad, felt great during the massage, it wasn't until later that night and the weeks following that I was in pain. Now, that I'm on gabapentin I was hoping to try again... and hoping that wouldn't happen this time.