punia

14 yr old daughter with myofascial pain disorder

Posted on 12/16/08, 06:31 pm

Can anyone give me good advice on pain meds? My daughter is on Dilaudid, Morphine ER and I want to ask the doctor to try her on something different? Please help a Mother going crazy in Hawaii. Aloha

• Reply #1 12/16/08  7:14pm
  
  blue22
  Baclofan (a muscle relaxant) really helps me. You can also try cyclobenaprine and liocaine in plo gel. Also, tens, heat, ice, trigger point injections with ylocaine, relaxation, gentle massage, and extremely gentle walking help me. Best of luck, and hope your girl feels better,
  JC
• Reply #2 12/21/08  10:43am
  
  crowmother
  Hi Punia, so sorry to hear your daughter is afflicted w/CMP. Blue covered just about everything.
  
  About the only things I would add are (1) stretching following TrP release. Stretching is very important; she needs the muscle to extend to its full normal relaxed state. However, she should go cautious w/the stretching--never stretch to the point of pain. Stretching should feel good. She might not get the muscle(s) to return to their full length right away, sometimes it takes a few weeks or months. She's lucky she is young--the recovery is better for the young.
  
  (2) Do search for a well-trained, experienced, myofascial trigger point therapist in your area. They may be a little spendy, but very well worth it. They can also train her, & you, to work on her trigger points at home. There's an excellent book by Claire Davies called "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook." Whether you find a good therapist or not, this book is a must have for anyone with this awful disease. Another "must have," is "Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain, A Survival Manual," by Devin Starlanyl and Mary Ellen Copeland. I recommend The 2nd edition, but the 1st is great too. Even if a person only has CMP, & not FM, this book is still a must have.
  
  The original books on this disease were written by Janet Travell, M.D. and David Simons, M.D. called "Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction, The Trigger Point Manuels," Vol. I and Vol. II. Your library should be able to find these for you. Vol. I covers the upper body, Vol. 2 covers the lower half. These are medical books, but even the average person can learn a lot from them.
  
  (3) Find out what her perpetuating factors are. Perpetuating factors are the things that not only caused the trigger points, but are also keeping them active. She may need to modify or give up certain activities for awhile. Some of us have to stop doing some things for the rest of our lives, but again, she has youth on her side, & may be able to return to all normal activities after her TrP's are erased.
  
  Activities aren't the only perpetuating factors. Other factors are thyroid problems, vitamin deficiencies, and allergies to name a few. There is a section on this in Davies' book, also Starlanyl & Copelands, books, & the original Trigger Point Manuals.
  
  (4) Have you tried acupuncture yet? This is in the same category as trigger point injections, as Blue wrote about; it's called "dry needling." It never helped me, but some people say it gave them relief.
  
  It all may be overwhelming at first, but take heart, there is much that can be done to help her.
  Warm hugs, & please keep us posted as to how you and she are doing.
• Reply #3 12/21/08  11:33am
  
  blue22
  One other thing I forgot to mention, is to have your dr do extensive tests to rule out other disorders, such as lupus, arthritis (there are over 100 kinds of arthritis), fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis to name a few...they can have similar symptoms but different treatments.Also, some say it helps to walk in water, and when i feel good, I ride our exercise bike.
  JC
• Reply #4 12/21/08  11:33am
  
  blue22
  One other thing I forgot to mention, is to have your dr do extensive tests to rule out other disorders, such as lupus, arthritis (there are over 100 kinds of arthritis), fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis to name a few...they can have similar symptoms but different treatments.Also, some say it helps to walk in water, and when i feel good, I ride our exercise bike.
  JC

This group is for people who have Myofascial Pain Syndrome- anyone with a diagnosis of MPS is welcome to join. Our mandate is to provide support, information, and friendship to people with MPS.