I am wondering if anyone else experiences this, and why it happens. On occasion, in the past, I have had a massage. My muscles are often tight, even though I can no longer exercise. I cannot even use light weights these days because my symptoms return two fold. Recantly, after I get a massage, especially when the MT does deep work, my syemptoms get much worse. That is, my fluish type symptoms return, I get headaches, am very tired and have pain etc: etc;. Does anyone else experience this? I used to love to get massages, but now I feel they are counteractive for me.
Posted by ralphi (Member # 33834) on :
Think it could be the toxins flushing from your system?
Have you been tested for the MTHFR gene mutation? My LLMD is testing me for it because I have similar symptoms.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
You have to be very careful with massages. You have to tell the therapist to go easy on you.
It can stir up the spirochetes and basically make you herx.
Be sure to drink lots of water after a massage and do what you can to detox.
(Your muscles are tight BECAUSE you are not exercising.)
Posted by back2game (Member # 23927) on :
Absolutely cannot do massages either.
I do have C677T (homozygous) MTHFR.
Why can't we tolerate massages?
Posted by T.Maria (Member # 36396) on :
Yes, it's toxins overloading your lymphatic system. I have always been one to have deep tissue massage and now I can barely handle a light massage.
Try cranialsacral therapy or lymphatic drainage massage...they may be more tolerable.
Posted by back2game (Member # 23927) on :
Thank you! Will try this next.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
massage??? forget it...
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
Clean the colon Flush the Liver
Then detox lymphs, blood, cells
Posted by pme (Member # 31621) on :
I can't even feel a massage anymore. Does it feel good when you get one? I miss the occasional pampering. Feels like everything that feels good has been taken away by Lyme.
I can't feel my entire back or legs. Feels like an inch thick of Saran wrap is wrapped around my entire body. All I feel is pain and numbness I will know when I am cured when I can enjoy a massage again!,
Sorry it made you feel badly
Posted by mojo (Member # 9309) on :
My Lyme Dr. says no deep tissue massages. Just light Swedish massages.
Posted by Splashi1 (Member # 28173) on :
Thanks all! I am going to be tested for the MTHFR gene in a couple of weeks, so we shall see. I have stopped eating gluten and will figure out ways to detox. After stopping gluten, the itchy skin I have had for 15 years has gone away. Just another irritant to an already overloaded system.
Posted by Splashi1 (Member # 28173) on :
Lymetoo, I don't think my muscles are tight BECAUSE I am not exercising. I cannot tollerate exercise. I used to be a dancer, so I am not that tight, just tight for me. Even when I walk for exercise I get flu like symptoms the next day, so I feel that it is more than a lack of exercise that is causing the tightness. It certainly feels like more, because I often hurt everywhere!
Posted by ralphi (Member # 33834) on :
Splashi, the same thing happens to me when I start exercising! I think movement starts your lymphatic system working and probably flushes out toxins.
The trick for me is to do VERY light activity religiously every other day. If I take a break for a few days, I feel awful (achey, chills, fatigue) when I start up again.
My doc suspects MTHFR because of this.
Are you detoxing? Dry brushing, 2 baths a day, and alka-seltzer Gold when I feel super bad have helped me.
Posted by mojo (Member # 9309) on :
I have excercise intolerance too. I hate it. I used to work out a lot, too.
I need to get back to my light weight work. Even ten minutes a couple of times per week worked wonders for me.
Lymph massages are great - very light but gets the system moving.
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
Splashi1, I found this site below:
Massage will absolutely make you worse. I am a massage therapist and massage stimulates the circulatory, lymph and immune system and encourages detox. If you already have a critical amount of toxins, massage will detox you too fast. A more gentle massage like Swedish won't be as bad as deep tissue, and lymphatic drainage massage won't be as bad as Swedish, but all of them will cause a strong detox reaction!
Any good massage therapist knows that infection, especially systemic infection is a contraindication for massage unless you have a doctor's permission. If you want to know more about different massage types that might be helpful for you that wont cause massive herx reactions, feel free to get in touch with me.
Does your therapist know you have Lyme?
If you would like to Email this person, here's the web-site:
Thank you for your input, eveyone! I am going to be tested for MTHFR mutations sometime in the upcoming weeks, so perhaps that is part fo the problem for me. I appreciate your feedback so much. Perhaps I'll hold off on the massage for the time being, and try some very light exercise every other day. I think detoxing is part of the puzzle for me.. Thanks again!