Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooDermatomyositis

Dermatomyositis is a rare disease that causes muscle weakness and a skin rash (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). It is believed to involve the immune system attacking healthy tissues in the body, and the ongoing inflammation tends to weaken the muscles (British Association of Dermatologists, 2026; Cleveland Clinic, 2022). No one knows for certain what triggers it (MedlinePlus, 2025). The weakness may come on suddenly or develop slowly over weeks or months, and the severity can range from mild to serious (MedlinePlus, 2025; Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Children and adults can both get it. It is most common in children aged 5 to 15 and adults aged 40 to 60, and it affects women more often than men (MedlinePlus, 2025).

Dermatomyositis Anatomy

This form of myositis (inflammation of the muscles) damages both the skin and the muscle fibres. It is related to polymyositis, which weakens the muscles in many parts of the body, and causes muscle weakness, stiffness and soreness (MedlinePlus, 2025; Cleveland Clinic, 2022). You may also have a distinctive reddish or purple, patchy rash on the face, eyelids, knuckles, neck, shoulders, upper chest and back, and sometimes bumps over the knees or elbows (MedlinePlus, 2025; Cleveland Clinic, 2022). In some cases you might find hard lumps under the skin. These are calcium deposits, known as calcinosis (British Association of Dermatologists, 2026; Cleveland Clinic, 2022).

How to Manage Dermatomyositis

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor or nurse practitioner

Tips

• Weakness of the muscles around the shoulders and hips is often one of the first signs. It can become difficult to get up from a chair, climb stairs, raise your arms or wash your hair (Cleveland Clinic, 2022; MedlinePlus, 2025).
• The condition can affect the muscles of the throat, making it difficult to swallow (dysphagia). If it affects the chest muscles and lungs, you may feel short of breath (British Association of Dermatologists, 2026; MedlinePlus, 2025).
• Dermatomyositis can also affect the lungs and heart, which is another reason regular check-ups with your doctor are important (MedlinePlus, 2025).
• Joint pain can also be a symptom (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).
• Try to maintain good nutrition, and tell your doctor if swallowing problems are making it hard to eat well (MedlinePlus, 2025).
• Even though there is no cure, prompt treatment can help reduce inflammation and protect the muscles. Some people, especially children, recover completely (Cleveland Clinic, 2022; MedlinePlus, 2025).

Dermatomyositis is managed by your doctor and specialist team, and the medicines that control the inflammation come first. I work alongside them, check what they've advised about exercise, and keep my treatment within it. How active your condition is changes what we do, so I check in at the start of every session and adjust. The first visit is gentle and a bit shorter, so we can see how you respond.

I start by assessing your strength, especially around the shoulders and hips, how your joints move, and how tasks like getting up from a chair or climbing stairs are going.

During a Flare

• Shorter, gentler sessions, avoiding the most inflamed areas, any active rash and hard lumps under the skin
• Slow, soothing massage for muscles working overtime, such as the neck and lower back
• Gentle movement through a comfortable range and light muscle-tightening holds

As Things Settle

1. Cleveland Clinic (2022) Dermatomyositis: symptoms, causes & treatments. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15701-dermatomyositis (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
2. British Association of Dermatologists (2026) Dermatomyositis (patient information leaflet). Available at: https://www.skinhealthinfo.org.uk/condition/dermatomyositis/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
3. MedlinePlus (2025) Dermatomyositis. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000839.htm (Accessed: 7 October 2026).