1. I have chronic back pain and occasional muscle cramps; heat, NSAIDs (I prefer naproxen, but YMMV), and on bad days prescription muscle relaxants all help. Also ethanol. The heat mainly comes from an electric heating pad, but a hot bath will get to things that the pad doesn't go near. For the occasional neck and shoulder pain I have a heating pad that kind of drapes over your shoulders and fastens in the front with a snap. This is all muscle stuff, so massage also works wonders.

2. My sister has fibromyalgia, but manages to hold down a job as a massage therapist. Partly that's because she can get massages herself at half price, and partly because she has some pretty awesome drugs. But also it's because on most days, as she puts it, "it's not going to hurt any more if I get up and do stuff." So she does.