Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Myofascial pain refers to pain and inflammation in the muscles and soft tissues of the body. This is a chronic pain which can exist either at the site of original injury or as a “referred” pain elsewhere within the patient’s muscles because the condition affects the fascia, which is the connective tissue that covers the muscles themselves. This referred pain is caused by the development of a trigger point at the original site of injury, which then causes pain elsewhere.

This disorder can develop due to chronic poor posture, poor exercise technique which leads to injury to the muscle fibers, repetitive motions, and lack of activity due to a prior injury like a broken bone. Patients diagnosed with myofascial pain disorder will experience muscle pains at specific trigger or tender points that can increase with activity or stress. Active trigger points  are characterized by extreme tenderness when pressure is applied and remain tender at all times; latent trigger points have the potential to develop into active trigger points, they are tender only when pressure is applied or when they are aggravated by overuse, strain or injury. Both active and latent trigger points can suffer from muscle weakness or restriction of movement. These physical pains can also cause depression, fatigue, and behavioral issues.

Patients with myofascial pain disorder must ensure that they are regularly in contact with a medical professional who can assist them with a multifaceted approach to dealing with the condition. Merely treating the physical issues resulting from the disorder is often not sufficient to properly treat it. Patients should ensure that they are avoiding the potential for re-injury, minimizing stress, getting enough rest, and treating any depression that appears as a result of their condition. This can mean taking part in physiotherapy, learning meditation and stress-reducing techniques like biofeedback, and taking any medications or receiving injections prescribed by their physician.

We offer consultation and lifestyle recommendations, medications, trigger point injections, chiropractic, physiotherapy, active exercises, acupuncture, biofeedback, psychotherapy, and TENS/MET devices for patients suffering from myofascial pain syndrome.

Sources:

http://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_pain/page2.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/muscle_pain/page3.htm

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/myofascial-pain-syndrome

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/chronic_myofascial_pain/hic_chronic_myofascial_pain_cmp.aspx