Softly

[MCBCON]

There was a time where even a soft touch on my thighs hurt a lot.  Lately a soft touch on my thighs can feel uncomfortable,  but most often it is not too bad and sometimes it feels relaxing.

The rest of my body actually crave soft touches.  My hips especially seem to benefit from the soft touch.

Deep massaging just simply hurts.

I was wondering how others in our MS community experience the feeling of being touch;  do you need a soft touch or does full massaging actually help you more?

[MCBCON]

Wish I could swim or just get in the pool.  Chlorine or bromine is too strong and I immediately have trouble breathing.

My wife does a good job at relaxing my muscles.  Mostly I just wondered how others are dealing with this problem.

It is problematic though.  When even light touches hurt it is not easy to get relief.  I do change what I find that helps is to find a way to be busy.

[Lulu54]

Swedish massage is out for you and me.  Deep kneading only aggravates the muscles and often causes spaasms and pain.

I found a massage therapist who is excellent  with positional release and accupressure.  Both are really gentle touch, and extremely beneficial for relaxing those hyper-muscles.

You might search in your area for someone who is trained in either of those techniques.

  If you google positional release you will find a lot of information.  

Another way you might get relief and that gentle touch all over that you need is by swimming.  I often say that my time in the pool is like getting a massage all over at once.  The water provides just the right amount of stimulus to the skin.  

take care, Lulu

[Quixotic1]

Hi, MCBCON!!!!!  I'm so glad you're back!!  I can't stand to be touched.  Sometimes I think a massage might help, but I know it would be dreadful.

Bob is right.  Allodynia is the intolerance of the light touch, but the strong, definite touch cann often be tolerated.  The deep pressure is entirely another thing.

Hi, again!

Quix

[Wobbly]

hi there... when I have pain in my thigh area... my hubby massages them really well.  Not soft but deep massage and it helps temporarily...

hope you find answer too.
wobbly

[COBOB]

Do a google search on Allodynia.  It is a pain from stimuli which are not normally painful.
It can be pretty common in Central and Peripheral Nervous System Disease.  Pain Management Docs have some very specific treatments for Allodynia.

Bob