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.
If you had these, can you tell me how you ignored them?
I can tell myself that muscle pain is normal, but I can't tell myself that these spasms are normal.
Thanks
So great that you found your cure!
Immediately after reading your post this morning, I checked the glossary in my Sarno books and here is a little what I have found.
Healing Back Pain; Dr. John Sarno, Page 14, "Perhaps the most common, and undoubtedly the most frightening, manifestation is the acute attack. It usually comes out of the blue and the pain is often excruciating...It is clear that the involved muscles have gone into a spasm. Spasm is a state of extreme contraction (tightening, tensing) of the muscles, an abnormal condition that may be horrifically painful....As will be described in the physiology chapter, I believe that oxygen deprivation is responsible for the spasm..It is likely that the common leg cramps also result from oxygen deprivation, which is why they usually occur in bed when the circulation of blood is slowed down, and there is liable to be a temporary, minor state of reduces oxygenation in the leg muscles."
Personally, spasms were not my main complaint. I did have horrible spasms at times but this did not occur on a daily basis and the times that I can specifically remember, I was in fact under a lot of stress. It does make sense to me that muscle pain and at its worst, spasms, are caused by a lack in blood flow resulting in a lack of oxygen getting to the muscles which causes pain.
I hate to sound like I know everything but I just feel so lucky and want to do whatever I can to try and make everyone realize that this really can work. The hundreds of success stories online are real.
I would suggest to try reading these 12 daily reminders - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0dKBFwGR0g - over and over again and really try to believe that this can work. These really helped me. I memorized them and at the beginning would say them over and over again in my head all day long and write them over and over again. When I had pain, I would force myself to think mentally and not physically. I would say these over in my head and not allow myself to think about the pain.
Lay down, they stop!
acute everyday - its terrifying alright!
Thanks
I think it's because I'm under too much mental pressure, have too much emotional pain I can't discharge all at once, plus I'm still in the thick of my work battle. I know I just don't have the mental power to try, and I don't want to 'try and fail' and so I'm keeping it for 'a little later' when I'm through the current firestorm.
The common thread in so many pieces on chronic pain and myofascial pain and anything 'muscle' related is the importance of breathing correctly! Which in my mind connects with this lack of oxygen that is key to the Sarno method. I've read a number of different things about breathing that I can't make sense of it whilst my brain is so mushy.
But I love it when you come back myo, and remind me there is hope, that I will recover :)
Iggy - if you pull up some of Myo's old posts you'll see how much she was suffering with this, right up there with the 'extremes' here, trying alsorts of treatments. The fact she managed to go from that to 'normal' (still don't know what 'normal' is) by using the Dr Sarno method makes it worth looking at.
Reading it throu
I know you are still angry Pumpkin. If there's anger, there's stuck emotions. Maybe when you work through those, you'll find this more effective.
Then I'll come visit you in England and you can visit me in the US and we'll walk ourselves out sightseeing. Wouldn't that be something.
Something that helped me with dealing with past emotions was I didnt need to actually do anything about them, but simply acknowledge them.. Consciously acknowledging that I am angry, stressed, sad, ect. and that I am not perfect, and that that's ok. Now, whenever I feel myself feel these emotions, I say "Ok, you have 5 minutes to be stressed" and i truly let myself feel stressed/angy/bad for myself/whatever, and when the 5 minutes is up, I let it go. And it's amazing how easy I can let something go once I allow those feelings to be felt..
This "embracing emotions meditation" link is great and kind of walks you through this process - http://www.unlearnyourpain.com/index.php?Unlearn%20Your%20Pain%20Book
Here's a link to an article I found yesterday that I think is really clear.
www.rsi.deas.harvard.edu/handout.doc
I wanted to bring this post to the top for a couple reasons. One, there are some new people who have joined the group who have not likely seen this thread, and two, to give an update. I can not emphasize more that MPS is curable. I am living proof. I am back to work and living a 100% painfree, normal life. I spent 3 years of my life (which I know is nothing compared to some of you) in horrible pain. If you read the first post in this thread, you will see that I tried literally everything to get better.
I was told my multiple doctors that what I have is incurable, that I will be in pain for the rest of my life, that muscles have memory, that i would need 24 hour live in help when I have a baby, "but thats ok bc you can sit down and someone can pick your baby up and hand them to you", ect. Well that is all BS. MPS can be cured. I know that everyone is different and that Dr. Sarno's theory can not cure everyone but it is worth a try. An honest try.
A year ago today, I was depressed, hopeless, on many meds, spent pretty much all day on the couch, couldn't walk up the stairs without being winded, couldnt go out to dinner without being in excruciating pain, and my entire body was in one big, painful knot. Now, I am back to work, I work out at least 5 times a week, I run, play tennis, do yard work, cook, clean, waterski!, there is nothing that I dont do now. In the past I was told many times that my left shoulder sits higher than my right and that my left hip sits higher than the right, and that because of this my muscles have to work harder, causing tension and pain, blah blah blah.. I have looked at pictures on myself when I was younger, prior to any pain and my left shoulder is a little higher, just last month I had to get a license picture taken and sure enough, my left shoulder is higher. I dont believe that this abnormality was the cause of any of my pain. Abnormalities are normal. I also still have a herniated L5S1 disc on an MRI, but I havent had pain in my back in months.
Please please please please, if you haven't already, order Dr. Sarnos book for a penny on amazon. This book gave me my life back. Or, at least take the time to look at the links in my first post.
I hope everyone doesn't mind me coming back here and the last thing I want is to be an annoyance and act like I know everything but I just feel so fortunate that I got my miracle and I want the same for each of you.
If you do anything, check out this website - http://thankyoudrsarno.com/
Interestingly, last week, my body shifted only about 1/4" and the pain was excruciating. I kept wondering why that could be when I used to live off kilter much worse and with less pain. I tried talking myself out of the pain but it didn't work. So I don't know what to think about that.
Anyway, do keep coming back. And always nice to hear good news about anyone.
Thank you for the inspirational update. I'm happy to hear of your continued good health. You're inspirational.
Tink
www.smi-mindbodyresearch.org/podcasts.htm