Myofascial Pain Syndrome Support Group
Myofascial Pain Syndrome (or MPS) is a term used to describe one of the conditions characterized by chronic pain. It is associated with and caused by "trigger points" (TrPs), sensitive and painful areas between the muscle and fascia. The symptoms can range from referred pain through myofascial trigger points to specific pains in other areas of the body. It may be related...
Hi everyone, It has been awhile since I posted anything. I hope everyone is having a nice summer so far.
This is going to be long but PLEASE KEEP READING. I will start with the good news. I am pretty much 100% better. I haven't felt this good in over 3.5 years. It has been an extremely long and painful journey but now I can honestly say that I am doing great. Before I explain what finally cured me, I will tell you what I went through from the beginning because I think its very important to understand that I literally tried everything to try and get better. In March of 2009, I was at the gym and felt pain in my lower back while doing squats. I had had some back pain in the past and figured that it would just go away. Well it didn't and I got an MRI 3 months later which showed I had a herniated disc at L5/S1. In the following months, I tried physical therapy, had multiple facet joint and epidural injections, and continued to get worse. The pain was now going down my left leg causing significant atrophy. In the fall, I was taking strong pain meds, wearing a heating pad every day through work, going home and laying on the couch, crying, with a heating pad. I had a minimally invasive surgery called IDET done, which is where they take a wire, stick it into your back/disc, heat up the wire, and fry any nerves around the disc to kill them so they dont cause pain. Didn't help. By January (2010), I was miserable. I had a microdiscectomy surgery where they went in and cut off the part of the disc that was sticking out. My pain never went away and that next summer, I started to develop muscle knots all over my body. They started in my lower back and spread up to my upper back, shoulders, neck, jaw, stomach, ect.. I was diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome/fibromyalgia, put back in physical therapy, prescribed some new meds, ect. I was in excruciating pain all over my body 24/7. My January the next year, the knots took over my body and I couldn't hold myself up. This is when I stopped work. We did as much research as we could and decided that I needed to move to another state, away from my husband to get treatment at a place that specialized in dry needling - where they basically stuck a needle into my muscle knots and violently moved it around to try and break up the knot. It was very painful but at the time I trusted that it was working and i was doing the right thing to get better. I went pretty much 3 x a week for 8 months, (@ $240 per session....) until August. In the end, this did not help me improve. Some knots never went away and the ones that did, came back. I then started multiple medical massages per week, chiropractor, acupuncture, all types of medicines, and a treatment where they used electricity to try and break up my knots. I was told by countless doctors that what I have is a disease and that my muscles have memory, I will never be rid of pain, I would need 24 hour live in help when I have kids, told by surgeons that I need a fusion back surgery, ect. By January this year, I was at rock bottom, I have tried literally everything to get better and was starting to think I would have to live the rest of my life in bed. Well, as I mentioned, I am better. My back MRI still shows a herniation at L5/S1, despite my surgery and I haven't felt pain in my lower back in months. I am back to running, working out, doing everything I want to, with no pain medication. Before I explain what worked for me, I don't know if this will help you but from what I know, I think that it has a really good chance. I have done countless hours of research on everything related to back pain. Here are some facts: It is normal to have abnormalities in your back - such as herniations. There have been many studies done of healthy people with no pain and more than half of them have disc herniations. This is not to say that disc herniations can cause significant pain, but it is extremely important to understand that people can have disc herniations with no pain and that just because an MRI shows that something is abnormal with your back, doesn't mean that that is what is causing the pain. After going through what I went through, I honestly think that I did not herniate my disc doing squats. I think that it was already herniated and that since my lower back hurt, and my MRI showed an abnormality here, my pain was blamed on this. I dont think I ever needed the back surgery I got. The doctors theory that cured me is Dr. Sarno. This video will help explain his theory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsR4wydiIBI
In short, his theory is NOT that the pain is all in your head. I wouldn't have given it the time of day. His theory is that yes you are in pain, you are in horrible pain, but that the reason for your pain is that your muscles are tight, therefore not allowing blood (and oxygen) to get in and it is the lack of oxygen that causes pain, and that you can change that. This is where it gets weird, but I am telling you, this is what has given me my life back. His theory is that your mind is causing you pain to distract you from any repressed feelings or emotions. Also, that we become conditioned to think that certain things do and dont hurt. So many doctors have told me, dont run - it hurts, dont sit - it hurts, dont drive - it hurts, dont bend - it hurts, ect. So when I did these things, of course it hurt and it was real pain. Dr. Sarno's book "Healing Back Pain" which you can buy for a penny on Amazon, cured me. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain-Mind-Body-Connection/dp/0446392308
Please take the time to look at this theory and give it a real chance. Coming from someone who has been there, this really works. The muscle knots that I had are now gone. Also, thinking back, I did not start to get pain in my left leg until I was told my a doctor that I had a herniated disc and that this caused pain down the leg. The pain I got was so bad, that I lost most of my muscles down this leg. Again, I still have a herniated disc at L5/S1, and I have zero lower back pain. Another reason I believe in this theory is that it just doesnt make sense that a little herniated disc in my lower back would cause muscle knots in my jaw - that just doesnt make sense.
Here is another video that helps sum up what Dr. Sarno says you should tell yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
Here are two of many forums on success stories - about people just like you and me who have been cured by this.
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=4
http://thankyoudrsarno.com/
Here is a link to another doctor who practices this theory - this website has some good info. This is also a great book.
http://www.unlearnyourpain.com/index.php?Introduction%20Page
Even if you have been told that you have other things "wrong" with you by doctors, do not write this theory off your list. TMS (what Dr. Sarno calls this) can cause fibromyalgia, PTSD, anxiety, GI issues, ect. Please let me know if you have any questions or want to talk. I feel so fortunate and so hopeful for all of you. I haven't felt any pain in weeks. I ran 3 miles yesterday, lifted weights, grocery shopped, worked in the yard, sat at my computer, made dinner, ect, without resting for a minute and went to bed pain free.
This is going to be long but PLEASE KEEP READING. I will start with the good news. I am pretty much 100% better. I haven't felt this good in over 3.5 years. It has been an extremely long and painful journey but now I can honestly say that I am doing great. Before I explain what finally cured me, I will tell you what I went through from the beginning because I think its very important to understand that I literally tried everything to try and get better. In March of 2009, I was at the gym and felt pain in my lower back while doing squats. I had had some back pain in the past and figured that it would just go away. Well it didn't and I got an MRI 3 months later which showed I had a herniated disc at L5/S1. In the following months, I tried physical therapy, had multiple facet joint and epidural injections, and continued to get worse. The pain was now going down my left leg causing significant atrophy. In the fall, I was taking strong pain meds, wearing a heating pad every day through work, going home and laying on the couch, crying, with a heating pad. I had a minimally invasive surgery called IDET done, which is where they take a wire, stick it into your back/disc, heat up the wire, and fry any nerves around the disc to kill them so they dont cause pain. Didn't help. By January (2010), I was miserable. I had a microdiscectomy surgery where they went in and cut off the part of the disc that was sticking out. My pain never went away and that next summer, I started to develop muscle knots all over my body. They started in my lower back and spread up to my upper back, shoulders, neck, jaw, stomach, ect.. I was diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome/fibromyalgia, put back in physical therapy, prescribed some new meds, ect. I was in excruciating pain all over my body 24/7. My January the next year, the knots took over my body and I couldn't hold myself up. This is when I stopped work. We did as much research as we could and decided that I needed to move to another state, away from my husband to get treatment at a place that specialized in dry needling - where they basically stuck a needle into my muscle knots and violently moved it around to try and break up the knot. It was very painful but at the time I trusted that it was working and i was doing the right thing to get better. I went pretty much 3 x a week for 8 months, (@ $240 per session....) until August. In the end, this did not help me improve. Some knots never went away and the ones that did, came back. I then started multiple medical massages per week, chiropractor, acupuncture, all types of medicines, and a treatment where they used electricity to try and break up my knots. I was told by countless doctors that what I have is a disease and that my muscles have memory, I will never be rid of pain, I would need 24 hour live in help when I have kids, told by surgeons that I need a fusion back surgery, ect. By January this year, I was at rock bottom, I have tried literally everything to get better and was starting to think I would have to live the rest of my life in bed. Well, as I mentioned, I am better. My back MRI still shows a herniation at L5/S1, despite my surgery and I haven't felt pain in my lower back in months. I am back to running, working out, doing everything I want to, with no pain medication. Before I explain what worked for me, I don't know if this will help you but from what I know, I think that it has a really good chance. I have done countless hours of research on everything related to back pain. Here are some facts: It is normal to have abnormalities in your back - such as herniations. There have been many studies done of healthy people with no pain and more than half of them have disc herniations. This is not to say that disc herniations can cause significant pain, but it is extremely important to understand that people can have disc herniations with no pain and that just because an MRI shows that something is abnormal with your back, doesn't mean that that is what is causing the pain. After going through what I went through, I honestly think that I did not herniate my disc doing squats. I think that it was already herniated and that since my lower back hurt, and my MRI showed an abnormality here, my pain was blamed on this. I dont think I ever needed the back surgery I got. The doctors theory that cured me is Dr. Sarno. This video will help explain his theory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsR4wydiIBI
In short, his theory is NOT that the pain is all in your head. I wouldn't have given it the time of day. His theory is that yes you are in pain, you are in horrible pain, but that the reason for your pain is that your muscles are tight, therefore not allowing blood (and oxygen) to get in and it is the lack of oxygen that causes pain, and that you can change that. This is where it gets weird, but I am telling you, this is what has given me my life back. His theory is that your mind is causing you pain to distract you from any repressed feelings or emotions. Also, that we become conditioned to think that certain things do and dont hurt. So many doctors have told me, dont run - it hurts, dont sit - it hurts, dont drive - it hurts, dont bend - it hurts, ect. So when I did these things, of course it hurt and it was real pain. Dr. Sarno's book "Healing Back Pain" which you can buy for a penny on Amazon, cured me. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain-Mind-Body-Connection/dp/0446392308
Please take the time to look at this theory and give it a real chance. Coming from someone who has been there, this really works. The muscle knots that I had are now gone. Also, thinking back, I did not start to get pain in my left leg until I was told my a doctor that I had a herniated disc and that this caused pain down the leg. The pain I got was so bad, that I lost most of my muscles down this leg. Again, I still have a herniated disc at L5/S1, and I have zero lower back pain. Another reason I believe in this theory is that it just doesnt make sense that a little herniated disc in my lower back would cause muscle knots in my jaw - that just doesnt make sense.
Here is another video that helps sum up what Dr. Sarno says you should tell yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g
Here are two of many forums on success stories - about people just like you and me who have been cured by this.
http://www.tmshelp.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=4
http://thankyoudrsarno.com/
Here is a link to another doctor who practices this theory - this website has some good info. This is also a great book.
http://www.unlearnyourpain.com/index.php?Introduction%20Page
Even if you have been told that you have other things "wrong" with you by doctors, do not write this theory off your list. TMS (what Dr. Sarno calls this) can cause fibromyalgia, PTSD, anxiety, GI issues, ect. Please let me know if you have any questions or want to talk. I feel so fortunate and so hopeful for all of you. I haven't felt any pain in weeks. I ran 3 miles yesterday, lifted weights, grocery shopped, worked in the yard, sat at my computer, made dinner, ect, without resting for a minute and went to bed pain free.
-
Years ago, I won a mirrored armoire from my job. It's in my bedroom but I rarely stand in front of it. Yesterday, I had to have a dexascan done so I had to change into a gown. There was a full length mirror in the changing room. I'm aware that I gained 5 to 7 pounds over the last year from cheating on Keto but I didn't know what it looked like. It was a reality check.
-
"don't be a hate hole" has been one of my recent mantras which seems to be escaping my mouth more and more often. it emerges when i am faced with the endless list of chores i would rather not deal with. insurance. head lice. bureaucracy. in-laws. the list goes on and on and on and on, ad infinitum.reality checks requested. am i making sense?"ever'thin they is but loving leaves a rust on your...
I don't know what to call it, but there's this 'thing' that happens when you finally hit that 'groove' where all the treatments or the hard work on everything suddenly begins to come together and everything else starts to make sense. And the pain starts to slide it's way down and you go from the vicious cycle of chronic pain to the positive cycle of recovery.
There is a stress test (you can find it at www.painclinic.org) that I check myself against every now and then (along with all the other tests) and my stress level remains at 566, which is a 'little' high (the range being 0-199 = low; 200-299 - medium; 300+ = high). The striking thing is that the questionnaire asks you to consider all events from the last 2 years. Which tells me that the negative effects of high stress hang around for 2 years. And it's no wonder that me and my stress became connected tightly to my horrible myofascial pain.
I read the Sarno book and could see that there was a massive grain of truth that he was trying to get at, but it was buried underneath a lot of speculative stuff that created confusion, created a smoke screen, making it hard to absorb the truth he was describing.
And the I found Paul Ingraham and www.saveyourself.ca which is a number of ebooks written by an muscle-expert-massage therapist after reading all the current information (scientific, non scientific papers as well as new books on the topic) and distilling it into easy to absorb chunks.
And suddenly I found so many answers to my pain. The best thing? The message that you can 'still' recover, that even when you think you've tried things there are ways you can go back and try them again and this time get success. I found a blueprint for self massage, and discovered my 'miracle' oil! And I also found his review of the Sarno book which said 'a lot of truth in that the mind is powerful and can be harnessed to get better, but the book was let down by going too far with his theory'.
My life has been horrible for quite some time and has seen a coincidental increase in mps beyond description. Knowing my own stress response is playing a huge part in the mps hasn't really helped me because I can't deal with the stress whilst in so much pain. Managing the pain has been the priority until I was stable enough to look at the stress stuff again. That's the short version, but you get the idea.
And then! I have found a review on the 'saveyourself' site all about the latest scientific review of pain and it gives me all the 'science' behind what Sarno identified many years ago. But it also gives it all in a more 'modern' and accessible way, and has really helped. I still have a lot to do regarding my life-stress, there's no magic overnight cure (oh that there was), but I can use all this information to reduce the overall pain and stiffness, thus giving me more energy to deal with the stress, etc etc.
When I get enough time to go through it all properly I'll post all this new info, as it's really good and supports everything that myofascialpain has said today.
I am so happy for you, myofascialpain, for the relief you have found, for the courage to trust the process and trust yourself. It is inspiring to feel how very positive it has all been, as well as seeing your journey over the course of your posts. I doubt that your troubles with the mps will be in vain, as I suspect you (and your husband) will take a 'gentle empathy' for people in chronic pain as well as potentially taking it forward as a treatment option.
Now. Just one last question! What did you do and how long did it take you to get over the effects of the muscle decondition?!!
So that was my question to him yesterday. When can I expect to see my body changing it's pattern of returning to tension and pain? All he could say was that it was changing, witness that some things don't hurt anymore. I just have to be patient. Each visit he relaxes the fascia, leading to muscles relaxing, leading to less pain. EAs I understand it, eventually, a new memory is established, an acceptance by the body and mind of a new way of being?
I really want that. I rarely have pain in my low back anymore. Still have pain in my shoulder and hips. Both understandable. But frustrating me lately as it doesn't feel there is as much progress.
I have also learned a lot from my journey trying to heal my myofascial pain. I learned that for decades, out of anxiety, I had gone around with my muscles all clenched up. I learned that my spine and posture were significantly out of alignment. Treating my myofascial pain is teaching me all sorts of new good habits, like standing up straight, not hunching over when I sit.
I am a lot older than you. I am hoping that with my alignment straightened out and my muscles unclenched I will be able to use my muscles more effectively and have more strength and endurance for the years I have remaining to me. Already the x-rays show that the cushioning between my vertebrae has gotten thicker, which will matter as I age I presume.
It is great that you will face the many decades left of your life with no myofascial pain.
Your stunning success helps me to see the light in my tunnel, especially at times when I'm deep in the dark (like at the last weekend when my laptop broke and I had no access to the internet, thankfully I managed to fix it eventually) and start thinking I'm never going to recover.
Thank you so much for coming back and posting
Pumpkin - To answer your question about what I did and how long it took for my muscles to get over the effects of muscle deconditioning - My muscles started to decondition about 3 years prior, with the last year and a half taking the biggest toll. I had extreme atrophy, couldn't hold my shoulders up for more than a couple minutes without feeling like I weighed 1000 lbs, and my neck reminded me of a baby trying to lift their head up for the first time. I would say it took 4 months to me to get back to feeling like my muscles were "back to normal". I was very strict with myself and dedicated about getting up and walking/running/elliptical/going to the gym, even if I didn't feel like it and always felt better afterwards. One of Sarno's main points, is that you can't be scared of doing something - you cant fear physical activity, so if I would feel pain, I would tell it to f* off - and go for a jog, or get in my car and drive a long distance, just to prove to myself that I could. Something that is very important to remember, which took me a little while to learn, is that when I would do physical activity, I would sometimes get muscle pain afterwards/day after. I would initially get scared about this but begun to realize that it is normal to get muscle pain after working out and that it is ok.
My workout routine at home/the gym consists of non weighted lunges, squats, abs, light arm weights, and stretching. I consistently increased the amount of physical activity I did and became stronger and stronger. My "big turnaround" came when my husband and I were on a hike which I only thought I could do a short distance of. I started to get pain, told it to f* off and ended up doing a very difficult 12 mile hike, finishing with zero pain. I realized that if I can do this, I can do anything, and my whole mindset was changed.
The key to Sarno's theory working is that you have to truly believe it. If you have any doubt, it most likely will not work. Everyone, please use my experience as support and proof that this works and give it a real shot. I know everyone's situation is different and I am not trying to downplay anyone's pain or issues but I have been told by many doctor's as well that i will never be pain free, will continue to get worse, that I have an irreversible disease, that my "structural imbalances" and "abnormalities" are causing my pain, ect., and that is simply just not true.
If you haven't already, take a second and check out this page - http://thankyoudrsarno.com/ there are many success stories hear that are great to read.
Again, PLEASE, PLEASE give this a shot. You can get the book for a penny on Amazon...
We spent a whole session working on it, going over the phrase "hurt does not mean harm", and I eventually restarted the tramadol and gradually it all came together and I started to get better and have a life. It was lovely. The 'only' thing I didn't do was reduce my working hours...
I've got so down recently, with everything that's gone on. I don't seem to be able to come to terms with what happened at work and I so know it's holding me back...still going through the work stuff, being bullied by 'colleagues' and also sacked for being off sick and going through the appeal 'may' just be having a part in that, haha!!!!
It's been brilliant watching your turnaround. No way am I going back to how I was last year, it's just taking time for the final resolutions to finish so I can start all over again. It's quite tiring though.
4 months. That's a hell of a lot quicker than I would have thought. And that's brilliant.
One thing I've really noticed is that maintaining my energy levels is key to my recovery, mentally, physically, spiritually, every '-ally' there is! And focusing on that helps everything else fall into place.
We spent a whole session working on it, going over the phrase "hurt does not mean harm", and I eventually restarted the tramadol and gradually it all came together and I started to get better and have a life. It was lovely. The 'only' thing I didn't do was reduce my working hours...
I've got so down recently, with everything that's gone on. I don't seem to be able to come to terms with what happened at work and I so know it's holding me back...still going through the work stuff, being bullied by 'colleagues' and also sacked for being off sick and going through the appeal 'may' just be having a part in that, haha!!!!
It's been brilliant watching your turnaround. No way am I going back to how I was last year, it's just taking time for the final resolutions to finish so I can start all over again. It's quite tiring though.
4 months. That's a hell of a lot quicker than I would have thought. And that's brilliant.
One thing I've really noticed is that maintaining my energy levels is key to my recovery, mentally, physically, spiritually, every '-ally' there is! And focusing on that helps everything else fall into place.
We spent a whole session working on it, going over the phrase "hurt does not mean harm", and I eventually restarted the tramadol and gradually it all came together and I started to get better and have a life. It was lovely. The 'only' thing I didn't do was reduce my working hours...
I've got so down recently, with everything that's gone on. I don't seem to be able to come to terms with what happened at work and I so know it's holding me back...still going through the work stuff, being bullied by 'colleagues' and also sacked for being off sick and going through the appeal 'may' just be having a part in that, haha!!!!
It's been brilliant watching your turnaround. No way am I going back to how I was last year, it's just taking time for the final resolutions to finish so I can start all over again. It's quite tiring though.
4 months. That's a hell of a lot quicker than I would have thought. And that's brilliant.
One thing I've really noticed is that maintaining my energy levels is key to my recovery, mentally, physically, spiritually, every '-ally' there is! And focusing on that helps everything else fall into place.
Since my MPS journey began, discovered after I quit Neurontin and I had no idea what the h** was happening. I was dx with MPS shortly after. They wanted me to go to their Pysio I said no, I didn't have a good feeling about it. I set off on my own. Bought every foam roller, TrP device, book, etc. I'm getting better, I'm 75% better in just 4mo.
I don't want to believe this is permanent. I wake up everyday thinking I'm going to be better.
Enter Large Rumble Roller, got it last week. Dear Lord, the thing is torture on steroids, but I don't care!....it hits every TrP on my spine and the sides of my back. I use it 3 times a day. It's brutal, yeah I feel beat up the next day. I take my tramadol and go back for more lol. It's working. I'm going to free myself from this MPS if it's the last thing I do!
Good for you Myo. Your story lights even more fire under my a** to beat this!
Ok, well, the first time I saw him I woke up in the middle of the night in horrible pain, my back was on fire, he had unknowly broke up TrPs releasing toxins. I didn't know what was happening at the time.
Once I put 2 and 2 together I began to realize that releasing toxins is a good healing thing. I look at this pain as a sign of healing.
I should have told that arrogant MFR therapist, should I stop seeing you, you are causing me pain? No, in my mind, I said bring it on and left it at that.
These are REAL success stories, from REAL people, with REAL pain.
I am 110% better and completely pain free. Last year at this time, I couldn't sit/stand for more than 10 minutes at a time, was on all kinds of medicines, was depressed, MISERABLE, lived my life in bed, had knots covering my entire body and I am now cured. I beat this and so can you. PLEASE go to amazon and for a penny order this book - http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Back-Pain-Mind-Body-Connection/dp/0446392308
I feel so fortunate to have my life back and think that I am a better person after going through and beating MPS. I have gotten my miracle and SO CAN YOU. I am not running a couple miles a day, living a completely normal life with cleaning, shopping, cooking, looking for a job, going out with friends, yard work, everything and anything a "normal" person would do.
I have a lot of link throughout this post but here is one that is worth reading. I would read through this website - it is very helpful in understanding this theory and this is a great book to get as well. http://www.unlearnyourpain.com/index.php?Introduction%20Page
There is also a free meditation on this site that really helped me. In the middle of this page - http://www.unlearnyourpain.com/index.php?Unlearn%20Your%20Pain%20Book
GOOD LUCK and pleasssssseeeee don't overlook this and please keep an open mind.