PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION TO HELP WITH SYMPTOMS OF FIBROMYALGIA AND CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

Posted on 06. Nov, 2008 by Robin August, Ph.D. in progressive muscle relaxation

USING RELAXATION TECHNIQUES TO HELP WITH SYMPTOMS OF FIBROMYALGIA AND CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

Relaxation techniques are critically importan when dealing with symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Over the next few blogs, I will give you details on how to use such techniques as Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Meditation, Quiet Rest, Guided Imagery, and Practicing Mindfulness. These techniques do a few things. (1) They help reduce stress (2) They help reduce tension in the muscles. Muscle tension can be caused by Fibro and CFIDS but can also make your symptoms worse. (3) They can simply help you feel a little better. By the way, these techniques can also help you relax before bed and might make sleep easier. If that happens, it’s a good thing.

PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION

This is easy to do and it really works for a lot of people after you practice it a little bit. I have gotten so good at it that I can stand waiting for an elevator and relax my muscles. The basic idea is that you tense and then relax muscle groups and that teaches you the feeling of a relaxed muscle After you have practiced this for a while, you will be able to scan your body for any parts that feel tense and just relax them since you will know the feeling of relaxation.

You might have to experiment a little to make sure that you are not tensing too much which could actually cause you to go into muscle spasms in areas that are already really tense. This technique may not work for everyone and don’t try it if you are already in muscle spasms or have an area that is injured. In that case, you might try just relaxing the muscle without tensing it. And, you should check with you physician or physical therapist to make sure that they think it is a good idea to try.

So, here we go:
1. Always practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation in a quiet place and with no distractions.
2. Wear loose clothing and take off your shoes
3. Either lie down or sit in a very comfortable chair.
4. Try not to eat or drink right before doing PMR.
5. Try doing PMR twice per day or whenever you feel yourself starting to stress a bit.
6. If you do it at night in bed, don’t be surprised if you fall asleep while doing it which is a good benefit of doing PMR. This is a great thing if it happens but it doesn’t happen for everyone.

Starting at your right foot, crunch up your toes and hold for about 10 seconds until it starts to feel a little uncomfortable, then let go and relax those muscles.
Imagine the tension in your foot going out of your toes and imagine that your foot feels very light and relaxed. Or imagine the tension melting, dissolving, and finally disappearing out the tips of your toes. Another image to have is that you are floating on a float and that the water is supporting you and you can just sink down into the float. As you exhale, let all of the tightness and pain flow out of the muscles. Feel the muscles relax and become loose and limp, tension flowing away like a wave flowing out from shore.
Continue doing this process for each muscle group in the following order:
1. Right lower leg
2. Right calf muscle
3. Right hamstring and knee
4. Entire right leg
5. Do the same thing on the left side, foot, calf muscle, hamstring and knee.
6. Right Hand
7. Right forearm and hand
8. Entire right arm
9. Reverse and do the same thing on the left side
10. Butt. I tell people to scrunch up their butt or push it into the chair or bed.
11. Abdomen
12. Chest
13. Shoulders
14. Neck
15. Facial Muscles, scrunch up your facial muscles

When you have gone through the whole procedure, scan your whole body for anyplace that still feels tense. Then go through the procedure with that part of your body. Once your body is as relaxed as you can make it, you might just sit and enjoy the sense of relaxation for 5 or 10 minutes. It can be a great stress reliever.

Dr. Robin

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