Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Long Covid & the Perrin Technique - an FSM perspective

By Monica Williams Advanced FSM Practitioner | Naturopath | IICT Member | 30 years in clinical practice | Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast QLD

In short: The Perrin Technique is a hands-on treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / ME that works by massaging the body's drainage system to help clear a build-up of waste around the brain and spine. Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM) looks at a lot of the same territory — the nervous system, the drainage system, and the way the brain gets "stuck" in an exhausted state — but works with gentle electrical signals instead of massage.

This article explains what the Perrin Technique is, why it's gaining more scientific support, and how FSM may offer another way to work with the same problem — especially for people who also live with fibromyalgia.

Key Takeaways

• The Perrin Technique was created by a British osteopath who noticed that treating the body's drainage system seemed to improve chronic fatigue symptoms

• The theory is that stress overloads the nervous system, which then stops the brain's waste-clearing system from working properly — leading to a build-up of "toxins" that keeps the body stuck in fatigue

• Newer research has confirmed that the brain does have its own drainage system, which supports what this theory was suggesting all along

• FSM works with the same nervous system and drainage issues, using gentle microcurrent instead of massage

• Published research on FSM for fibromyalgia (a condition that often overlaps with chronic fatigue) found that just over half of patients recovered, with big drops in pain and inflammation markers within a single 90-minute session [1]

1. Chronic Fatigue Isn't Just Being Tired

If you live with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also called ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), you already know it's nothing like ordinary tiredness. It's a deep, whole-body exhaustion that doesn't get better with sleep. Many people also deal with brain fog, muscle and joint pain, and something called post-exertional malaise — where doing too much today means paying for it with a crash a day or two later.

For a long time, people with ME/CFS were told their tests were "normal" and were sometimes made to feel it was all in their head. That's changing. We now have a much better understanding that ME/CFS involves real, physical changes in the body — particularly in the nervous system and in how the brain clears its own waste products.

2. What the Perrin Technique Actually Is

Back in 1989, a British osteopath named Dr Raymond Perrin was treating a patient for posture problems. That patient also happened to have ME — and as his posture improved with treatment, so did his chronic fatigue. That surprising discovery led Perrin to spend the next few decades developing a new theory and treatment for ME/CFS.

Here's the basic idea in plain terms: stress — whether it's physical, emotional, or from an illness like a virus — overloads the "fight or flight" part of the nervous system. When that system is overloaded for too long, it stops doing its job properly, including managing the body's lymphatic drainage. The lymphatic system is like the body's rubbish removal service — a network of tiny vessels that carries away waste products, including waste from around the brain and spinal cord.

Perrin's theory is that in ME/CFS, this drainage gets blocked or even flows backward, so waste builds up around the brain instead of clearing away. That build-up then irritates the nervous system further, which makes the drainage problem worse — a vicious cycle that keeps the whole body stuck in fatigue.

The Perrin Technique itself involves gentle massage and osteopathic movement of the head, neck, chest, and spine, aimed at helping that fluid drain properly again. Patients are also taught simple self-massage to do at home between sessions.

For a long time, doctors were skeptical of this idea because there was no proof the brain even had its own drainage system. That's since changed — research from 2012 onwards has confirmed that the brain does have lymphatic drainage pathways, giving Perrin's original theory much stronger scientific backing.

Professional Insight — Monica Williams: What I like about the Perrin Technique is that it treated chronic fatigue as a real, physical problem long before that was widely accepted. It points to the same two things I look for in clients with unresolved fatigue: an overloaded nervous system, a drainage system that isn't clearing properly and a build up of waste that is essentially poisoning the persion. People have been presenting in my clinic with symptoms of 'poisoning' since the early 2000s. I don't know what has changed, but something has. Now managing this is an important part of all chronic recovery programs.

3. Where FSM Comes In

FSM (Frequency Specific Microcurrent) therapy looks at a lot of the same ground the Perrin Technique does — the nervous system and the body's drainage — but works with it differently. Instead of massage, FSM uses two very gentle, targeted electrical currents through the skin, each set to a specific frequency, to work directly with the nervous system's own signals.

Here's how the overlap works in practice:

Calming an overloaded nervous system. Perrin's theory centres on the "fight or flight" nervous system being stuck in overdrive. FSM includes frequencies designed to support the vagus nerve — the main nerve responsible for switching the body into "rest and recover" mode. Supporting this nerve is a way of approaching the same imbalance from the other side.

Supporting drainage. FSM includes frequencies associated with easing congestion and supporting lymphatic flow, used alongside the nervous system work — reflecting the same idea Perrin describes, where both systems need attention for either one to properly recover.

Calming a nervous system stuck on "high alert." Many people with long-term ME/CFS develop a nervous system that overreacts — amplifying fatigue, pain, and sensitivity well beyond what makes sense for what's actually happening in the body. FSM has specific frequencies aimed at calming this "stuck" pattern.

After a virus. A large number of ME/CFS cases start after a viral illness — something Perrin himself pointed out early in the COVID-19 pandemic, correctly predicting that Long COVID would look a lot like ME/CFS. FSM includes frequencies developed for post-viral presentations, supporting the immune and nervous systems as they recover.

4. The Fibromyalgia Connection — and the Research

Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS overlap so often that many people are diagnosed with both. Dr Perrin has written about adapting his own technique for fibromyalgia patients, and the two conditions share a lot of the same features: pain and exhaustion that seem out of proportion to any obvious cause, and sleep that never feels restorative.

This is also where the published research on FSM is strongest. A 2005 study followed 54 fibromyalgia patients and measured what happened during and after FSM treatment [1]. The results included:

• Pain dropped from an average of 7.4 out of 10, down to 1.3 out of 10, within a single 90-minute session

• Key inflammation markers in the blood fell dramatically in that same session — one dropped from an average of 392 down to 21 in just 90 minutes

• Natural pain-relieving endorphins rose roughly tenfold

• Just over half the group — 31 out of 53 patients — recovered from fibromyalgia within four months of ongoing treatment, including better sleep and less tenderness

The researchers noted that these changes happened faster than anything else recorded in the medical literature for this kind of pain condition.

Professional Insight — This fibromyalgia study is the closest thing we have to hard numbers on what FSM is actually doing in the body. In clinical practice, clients with overlapping chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia often respond to the same broad approach — calming the nervous system first, then supporting drainage so the improvement sticks. The other thing FSM looks for specifically in these cases, is a history of neck injury and concussions from car accidents, falls, hypermobility syndromes, and injuries, that often preceed the downturn.

5. Perrin Technique vs FSM, Side by Side

	Perrin Technique	FSM Therapy
The idea	An overloaded nervous system stops the brain's drainage system working properly, backing up large molecular toxins into the central nervous system and brain	The nervous system, drainage, and a "stuck" pain/fatigue response all need addressing together, addressing neck issues as a key drainage area for the body and brain
How it works	Hands-on massage and osteopathy	Gentle microcurrent at specific frequencies with light pressure at key regions
Main focus	Draining fluid from the head, neck, and spine	The lymphatics, fascia, vagus nerve, nervous system balance, brain areas (brain stem, medulla, dura, cerebellum, pons), stress response and drainage organs
Between sessions	Self-massage taught to the patient	Self-massage and lymphatic drainage moves
Research	Studies on diagnosing ME/CFS (BMJ Open, 2017)	Studies on pain and inflammation in fibromyalgia (2005)

These two approaches aren't in competition. In many ways, they're tackling the same cycle from two different directions — one physical, one electrical.

6. When This May Be Relevant to You

This approach may be worth exploring if:

• You've been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME, or fibromyalgia — or you just feel terrible all the time and you've had enough! You don't need a diagnosis or referral for this work. Wanting to feel better than you do currently is enough.

• Rest doesn't fix your fatigue, and doing too much leaves you worse the next day making life a challenge and a chore

• You've tried mainstream therapies, home practices, pacing, graded exercise, osteopathy, chirocpractic, or the Perrin Technique itself, with only partial results

• Your symptoms started after a virus, vaccine, emotional trauma, a long stressful period, an accident or physical injury

• You deal with widespread pain, poor sleep, or brain fog, headaches and hormonal issues alongside the fatigue

• Your tests keep coming back "normal" despite how unwell you feel

7. How FSM Therapy May Support Recovery

FSM therapy uses two gentle currents, each set to frequencies matched to a particular tissue and a particular problem. For chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, treatment usually works across several sessions to:

• Calm an overreactive nervous system, easing the exaggerated fatigue and pain response

• Support the vagus nerve, helping the body find its way back to "rest and recover" mode

• Ease congestion and support drainage alongside the nervous system work

• Support recovery from any lingering effects of a past viral illness

Like the Perrin Technique, this isn't a one-off fix — real change in long-term chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia usually happens gradually, often supported by a take-home device between clinic visits. You can read more about the conditions FSM is used for or get in touch through our contact page to talk through your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does FSM replace the Perrin Technique?

Not necessarily — they can work well together. The Perrin Technique clears drainage by hand, while FSM works with the same nervous system and drainage issues using microcurrent. Some people benefit from combining a hands-on approach with a nervous-system-focused one like FSM. What's right for you depends on your own history and symptoms.

How long does FSM treatment take to work for chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia?

It varies from person to person. In the published fibromyalgia study, patients had ongoing treatment over several months, not just one session [1]. Chronic fatigue is a more complex, whole-body condition, so it usually needs a longer, carefully paced course of treatment.

Will FSM make me crash, like exercise sometimes does?

FSM is gentle and doesn't involve physical exertion. Sessions are paced to suit you, which matters a lot if you deal with crashes after doing too much. A careful, gradual approach helps make sure treatment supports your nervous system rather than overloading it.

Is FSM therapy for chronic fatigue available in Queensland, Australia?

Yes. Healthier by Choice is located in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and sees clients from across South East Queensland including Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and the Noosa region. A free 15-minute phone consultation is available to talk through your situation and whether this approach may suit you.

Do you see interstate clients for FSM?

Yes. Interstate clients often stay in Maroochydore, Cotton Tree, or Mooloolaba and combine treatment with a short break on the Sunshine Coast. Treatments can be booked daily or every second day as a bundle. Because FSM works at the root cause, benefits are often felt straight after a session and continue to build over the following weeks.

Ready to Explore This Further?

Email us to book your free 15-minute discovery call

About Monica Williams is an Advanced FSM practitioner and naturopath with 30 years of clinical experience across a range of modalities. A member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT), Monica was a Naturopath when she completed the compelling advanced training in Frequency Specific Microcurrent through the Frequency Specific Seminars programme founded by Dr Carolyn McMakin. She works with people navigating complex and chronic health conditions at her Maroochydore clinic on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

References

1. McMakin CR, Gregory WM, Phillips TM. Cytokine changes with microcurrent treatment of fibromyalgia associated with cervical spine trauma. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2005;9(3):169-176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2004.12.003

2. Perrin R, et al. Diagnostic accuracy study examining physical signs distinguishing ME/CFS patients from healthy controls. BMJ Open. 2017.

3. Louveau A, et al. Structural and functional features of central nervous system lymphatic vessels. Nature. 2015;523:337-341.

4. McMakin C. Frequency Specific Microcurrent in Pain Management. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, 2011.

The content in this article is provided for general educational information and is not a substitute for personalised medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs.