My fibromyalgia story starts at the end of my first year of medical school. I was doing crunches at the gym when I felt a muscle in the front of my neck rip, causing intense pain. But I had injured other muscles before, and I figured it would heal quickly. But as days turned to weeks, it didn’t. My neck constantly burned and felt like it could no longer hold up the weight of my head. The pain progressed to my upper back—an ache between my shoulder blades that would not go away. My spine hurt, my skin hurt, everything hurt.
Nothing I tried gave me any pain relief until I found myofascial release therapy (MFR). This technique involves slow, prolonged stretching that targets restrictions in the fascia, the connective tissue around the muscle. After just a few sessions I experienced dramatic pain reduction in my arms and neck.
My own pain relief with myofascial release convinced me that the fascia must play a major role in causing fibromyalgia pain. My conviction is driven by an intuitive sense that the myofascial tissue is abnormal in fibromyalgia, because I can feel it in my own body. In this library I present all the scientific supporting evidence that I have gathered over the past 25 years, united together in my Fibromyalgia Chain Reaction Hypothesis.
I am a graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine, board certified in internal medicine, and in 2011 founded one of the first specialty clinics devoted exclusively to treatment of fibromyalgia.
At this point you may be wondering if I have any business throwing out scientific theories and writing research papers, since my career has mostly been spent doing fibromyalgia clinical care and I don't have a PhD. Here are my "research creds" so to speak: I worked for several years as an associate professor in the Rheumatology Dept. at Oregon Health and Science University. There I was the recipient of a Gerlinger Foundation Research Award to conduct a study comparing myofascial release therapy to standard massage (spoiler alert, MFR was more effective!) I’ve published several peer-reviewed articles about fibromyalgia and presented at dozens of academic conferences. (All of which can be found below). I have also read literally thousands of research papers about fibromyalgia. (Seriously it is what I do for fun in my spare time! Definitely a true science geek.) But honestly my most important research credential is having fibromyalgia myself, which has enabled me to study it from the inside. I am driven by a determination to figure out fibromyalgia in my lifetime. All of us dealing with this illness have waited long enough. Only by truly understanding it scientifically will we get anything close to a cure.
This mission is a big one, and I can't do it alone. Any support is deeply appreciated. Here are some ways you can help.
- Buy a copy of my book which is available on amazon.com in print form, on kindle and now as an audiobook!!(https://storage.ghost.io/c/32/60/3260ee36-8fa2-4178-8c6d-6314ebc8978b/content/images/2026/03/FibroManual-cover.jpg)
- If you find a post on this site interesting or useful, share it on social media or via email.
- Share the website or relevant articles with your healthcare providers
- Watch The Fibro Show on Youtube
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I often get asked if I feel my fibromyalgia has been cured or in remission. My answer is no, but on most days I feel about 70% better than in the early days of fibromyalgia. Most folks with fibromyalgia are not expecting a 'cure'. But dramatically lowering pain and fatigue levels can feel miraculous. If you are living at a pain volume of 7 (on a 10 point scale) and can turn down to 2, it can be life-changing.
I do have to be vigilant in self-care. I still experience flares and bad days. But I am so grateful to be able to work and live life while trying to help as many other people with fibromyalgia as possible. That is what I am hoping to do with this library, and in my books and videos.
Academic Publications
1 /
Liptan G. The widespread myofascial pain of fibromyalgia is sympathetically maintained and immune mediated. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2023 Jul;35:394-399
2 /
Lee C, Liptan G, Kantorovich S, Sharma M, Brenton A. Association of Catechol-O-methyltransferase single nucleotide polymorphisms, ethnicity, and sex in a large cohort of fibromyalgia patients. BMC Rheumatol. 2018 Dec 12;2:38
3 /
Liptan G, Mist S, Wright C, Arzt A, Jones KD. A pilot study of myofascial release therapy compared to Swedish massage in fibromyalgia. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2013 Jul;17(3):365-70
4 /
Liptan GL. Fascia: A missing link in our understanding of the pathology of fibromyalgia. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2010 Jan;14(1):3-12
5 /
Jones KD, Liptan GL. Exercise interventions in fibromyalgia: clinical applications from the evidence. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2009 May;35(2):373-91
Academic Presentations & Lectures
Fibromyalgia: Practice pearls and newer insights | Indian Rheumatology Association Karnataka Chapter March 2026
Clearing the Fog: What the Science Actually Shows About the Pathophysiology of Fibromyalgia | Painweek September 2025
Manual Therapy and Self-Treatment Techniques to Manage Fibromyalgia Pain. Keynote Presentation | Work Disability Prevention and Integration Bangalore, India September 2023
Fascia Research and Fibromyalgia | Fibromyalgia Community Conference December 2023
Is Fibromyalgia an Autoimmune disease? | Fibromyalgia Community Conference November 2022
Cannabis Use in Pain Modulation | A4M World Congress December 2021
Turning Down the Volume of Fibromyalgia pain | A4M World Congress December 2021
Novel Treatment Approaches for Fibromyalgia Pain | A4M World Congress December 2021
Fibromyalgia is Much More than Central Sensitization-Addressing the Entire Picture for Better Treatment Outcomes | Indian Rheumatology Association Karnataka Chapter June 2021
Strategies for Successful Use of Telemedicine with Pain Patients, Telehealth Self-Care Strategies to Improve Pain Outcomes | Painweek September 2019
Transformative Care for Myofascial Pain and Fibromyalgia | Painweek Sept 2019
Turning Down the Volume on Fibromyalgia Pain | LDN Conference June 2019
Managing Fibromyalgia as a Primary Care Provider | Lectures at School of Physician Assistant Studies Pacific University-College of Health Professions January 2013, February 2014, January 2015, January 2016, January 2017, January 2019
Evidence-Based Treatment of Fibromyalgia | Oregon Society of Physician Assistants (OSPA) Fall CME October 2018
Fascia: A Missing Link in our Understanding of the Pathology of Fibromyalgia | Myopain India October 2017
New and Alternative Pain Therapies to Target both Peripheral and Central Components of Fibromyalgia Pain | Myopain India October 2017
Effective Manual Therapies for Fibromyalgia | Myopain India October 2017
Review of Pharmacologic Agents for Fibromyalgia | Myopain Conference in India October 2017
Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain Management: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown | Oregon Medical Case Management Group at Providence Hospital September 2016
Cannabis for Fibromyalgia | Fibromyalgia Information Foundation Town Hall at OHSU July 2015
Prescribing Opiates for Fibromyalgia | Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing FNP program, April 2013 and April 2015
The Myofascial Web and Fibromyalgia | Fibromyalgia Information Foundation Annual Conference April 2014
Coaching Your Patients to Better Health: A State-of-the-Art Fibromyalgia Intervention | Live webcasts with MedEdRules LLC December 2012
Evidence-Based Treatment of Fibromyalgia | Oregon Society of Physican’s Assistants Fall CME Conference November 2012
Myofascial Release Therapy Compared to Massage in Reducing Symptoms of Fibromyalgia | Platform Presentation at Third International Fascia Research Congress March 2012
Fibromyalgia: A Multi-disciplinary Approach | Annual Clinical Meeting of the Pain Society of Oregon and the Western Pain Society September 2011
A Comprehensive Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Fibromyalgia in the Primary Care Setting | CME sponsored by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine February 2011
Perspectives in Fibromyalgia: Expert Panel Roundtable CME | Jazz Pharmaceuticals, November 2010
Is Fascia the Source of Pain in Fibromyalgia? | Eighth International Meeting of the Myopain Society in Spain October 2010
Watch the Fibro Show which I co-host with Sharon Waldrop, a board certified health and wellness coach. It's part Vlog, part Webinar, part Talk Show, and all Fibrolove.