Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Hey everyone,
                     Ive had a whole range of symptoms including chronic pain in face/head/neck and shoulders aswell as random pains all over my body for about 2 and a half years and its been a long road via Trigeminal Neuralgia and Fibro but i feel im finally happy with my diagnosis (in regards to actually agreeing with the drs not happy ive got it!)
I dont really understand much about it, how its caused, if it can be cured etc and i was wondering if anyone on here would be kind enough to please share their experience with me no matter how good or bad it is cos i want to understand it more so i can try to accept it cos im still v much bitter about it.
Im also worried cos ive heard that Myofascial Pain Syndrome is generally considered to be the start of Fibro, is this true? or have i been given false info?
Thank You so much in advance for taking the time to read my post and reply to me.
Take Care

Butterfly XxX

[mkh9]

Hi and sorry you have myofascial pain syndrome. I have it as well. I have low back pain that hurts all the time in one place probably a trigger point. I also have a trigger point in my shoulder on the same side and one in my neck. The main pain is the back pain. From what I have read myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and fibromyalgia are two different things but similar. The MPS is usually on one side of the body while fibro is all over the body and is on both sides. It usually hurts to touch the skin or you can have lots of different symptoms. Fatigue is common in both but anytime you have pain, you get tired and can be depressed. The main thing that is working for is to walk. I took Flexeril for about 9 months but am off now. It only helped the muscle pain for 3 weeks and I sleep walked in the day time even though I only took it at night. I also take a NSAID called Limbrel500 (doesn't hurt your stomach) but is very expensive as the insurance doesn't pay for it. I got intermittant relief from accupunture and biofeedback breathing exercises keep me somewhat less anxious.  I started out with small amounts walking on a flat surface then my integrative pain med doctor said it was ok to try hills. I went up too fast and pulled my back. So I do about 20 steps at a time and have now made it to about 40 minutes of hills and 20 minutes of flat walking. It has helped me get around. Another thing that has helped the pain a little is Fibroplex and magnesium. The Fibroplex is a combo of vitamin B1, B6, magnesium and manganese. If you take it don't take over 100mg of the B6 for the day or you can get neuropathy. I take an additional 500mg of slomag or magnesium chloride which is easier to digest. I tried pain killers and the side effects were too much and the pain is not as high now. I am now able to drive and get to eat out though it still hurts. I know these sound more natural meds but I have tried vicadin, and tramadol and they were good when I needed the high pain relief. My doctor says I will get better. I did have back pain that lasted 8 months before and I did get over it. So, I am counting on it! I hope this helps. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions. You can try trigger point injections or spray and stretch technique through a physical therapist. I haven't done that yet. I have had a cortisone injection and that totally took my pain away for a few days then it came back then went away after i got stronger.  Now I am still atrophied from too much sitting.
mkh9
mkh9

[Tuckamore]

Hi Butterfly,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. Mkh9 has offered you some good suggestions. Unfortunately MedHelp does not have a Community solely for MPS. We are grateful for mkh.

As you know Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a fancy way to describe muscle pain. It refers to pain and inflammation in the body's soft tissues. It is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles).  It's a newer diagnosis and use to be confused with Fibromyalgia and vise versa.... in fact sometimes the two diagnoses are still used interchangeably. You can have on without the other.... so don't be overly concerned that you may develop Fibro.

Statistics say that 72% of people with fibromyalgia also have active trigger points which is one of the main symptoms of myofascial pain syndrome. They are still very different conditions. I was once DX with MPS but it was an error. I knew it... but the I couldn't convince the physician otherwise.

This from a trusted Web-Site:

"One of the main characteristics of myofascial pain syndrome is that the pain is regional, or confined to a limited area of the body. Generally, myofascial pain will be found in the shoulders, neck, arms, face, low back and/or legs. It is quite often a result of misaligned posture."

I have also read that the two will often go hand in hand. Why that occurs, even the experts don't know. The symptoms overlap one another and are often mistaken for one condition rather then two. Treatments for Fibromyalgia and MPS are different. If you have both of these condition each one needs to be treated individually or independently. But again just because you have MPS doesn't mean you will develop Fibro.

A Rheumatologist can best treat these conditions. Each of us respond differently to treatments and medications, what works for one doesn't always work for another... even with the same disease condition. Are you being treated by a Rheumatologist?

Chronic Pain very often disrupts our daily lives and robs us of our nights. At the very least you deserve proper pain control. Do you have it?

I hope you will keep in touch and let us know how you are doing.

Best of Luck to You,
~Tuck

[ivy62610]

please visit that page. i hope it will help u as much it helps me

http://homepages.sover.net/~devstar/myopain.htm
http://homepages.sover.net/~devstar/define.htm

if u will start for p.t.. try to get certified myofascial trigger points therapy..
not all p.t are familiar w/ these.. & they can harm u..

sorry just want to add this. for there are a lot of us not getting all the help we need.. just want to help spreading the word

FOR WASHINGTON & OREGON STATE

http://action.painfoundation.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=13682.0&printer_friendly=1

[Butterfly8588]

Hi everyone,
                  Thank you so much for your replies i really appreciate it. I had my last acupuncture session yesterday which hasnt worked for me and the guy was really nice and told me that basically hes really sorry he couldnt help me and he told me not to lose hope because hes praying that in the future they find a cure for me (and people with my condition)
Ive never seen a Rheumatologist in my life, im from the uk and the NHS dont seem to send people their way often for monetry reasons i assume.
MKH9, i didnt think their was a cure for our condition? How come your going to get better in 8 weeks? whats the secret? lol.
Thank you again you 3 for your info, ive found it really useful.
Take Care xxxx

[mkh9]

Hi again,
No I didn't say I got out of pain in 8 weeks rather 8 months the first time I got this.  It will be recurring but my doctor said I would get over this. I asked him several times and he said yes. Maybe because mine is caused by an injury? I don't know but I got over it before and things have changed for me for the better over the last year.  I actually got totally out of pain from accupunture after 6 sessions but it didn't last. It is hit and miss with that and very expensive. Maybe he is not entirely sure about my case since I had this before recoverd after 8 months of having it and then was out of pain for  a year and a half then I got it back. So, I don't do know. This time I was reinjured several times and so it is taking longer to get better. I hope I can out of this I do need hope. I hope you can as well. Most back injuries are non-diagnoseable anyway, and I may have SI joint instead but I don't know for sure. The doctor won't do trigger point injections on me even though he does those. He said he didn't want to do that to me. I don't understand either. I hear it is very hard to hit the trigger point as they are very small. Spray and stretch is probably better. When I recurred after the 1 1/2 year hiatus, I did get out of  pain with massage from at PT and stretches. Then I forgot and bent and hurt myself. I did also have a cortisone injection the first time I got out of pain so that may be the direction to go. Well, good luck,
mkh9

[Tuckamore]

Hi Again Butterfly,

What is effective for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. We are all different even if we have the same diagnosis. I have found that managing pain is usually a trail and error process.

Some ppl with my diagnosis have found relief with steroidal injections. They do nothing for me. However treatments that have been effective, at least to some degree for me haven't been for others.  I think most CP ppl will agree with my earlier statement, it is that trial and error process that determines how best we can treat our pain. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!!

MH has some reading suggestions that you may find helpful on this page: http://www.medhelp.org/tags/health_page/177/Fibromyalgia/Library---Recommended-Reading?hp_id=712

D.O.'s (Doctor of Osteopathy) that practice OMT (Osteopathic Manipulation Therapy) have provided me with significant pain relief. They may not be effective for you but it may be worth a try, esp considering you cannot see a Rheumatologist.

Acupuncture is also worth considering as mkh suggested. It was a very relaxing experience for me which lessen my pain. Again some ppl claim great relief while others obtain nothing, It's costly in the states.

The right physical therapist, regardless if they perform trigger point therapy or release can also provide some pain relief..... again for some ppl.

Please let us know how you are doing. We'll look forward to your updates.

My Best,
~Tuck