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.
The one thing that keeps cropping up, over and over, in all manor of treatment modalities, is the importance of breathing properly / in a specific controlled manner, to maximise O2 in the body.
So, how to put that into practice??? I can do the breathing thing after I do my stretches, so I guess that's where I'll start. That and my daily pill fight to reduce them. Is that a sentence? I can't tell right now.
The best thing is I have a cranio session booked early afternoon tomorrow :) can't wait, I'm hoping to clear some of this pill-fog I'm in.
There always seems to be a lot of 'chatter' about the Sarno method, so many strong opinions at odds with each other. I think because it's almost too simple to actually work and yet so many people get a such a positive response from following it - it has helped people severly restricted with such a lot of suffering to improve almost completely....plus you can get the original book for 1p on Amazon!
'Jessie's threads for new ppl' and
'Overall best book to buy ?'
This is one of our most intriguing posts, as the dr Sarno method tends to split opinion. When you're in pain then ***everything*** is worth considering. Personally I find myofascialpain's journey with MPs deeply inspiring
I am very sorry to hear about your pain, but am so happy that you found this post.
I got an email that you left this comment and I can't believe that I left my original post on this topic almost 5 years ago.
To leave an update - I am still 100% and have had no relapses. I have since had 2 kids and have no residual pain from being pregnant or caring for them full time.
My symptoms originally started in 2010 and began with lower back pain and diagnoses of a herniated disc. I also had shooting pain down one leg. Over the next year, the pain began to spread up my back, into my shoulder blades, traps, neck, shoulders, jaw, and even ribs. I developed muscle knots in all of the areas and it hurt even to just hold my head up. The pain was a constant deep and sharp pain and worse when I was more active. My shoulder blade pain felt like someone was shoving a knife in there. My neck pain felt like I was getting choked because my muscles were so tight. My jaw hurt to open even just a little bit.
I was told that I developed myofascial pain symdrome from the way I was compensating for my lower back pain but it just never made sense to me that the disc in my lower back could cause a muscle knot in my jaw.
My biggest piece of advice to anyone with this condition is to get the book (comes with a meditation CD that really, really helped me), called "Unlearn Your Pain" by Dr. Schubiner. Here is the link: http://www.unlearnyourpain.com This book guides you through what to do and how to approach getting better.
His website also has great resouces and testimonials. http://www.unlearnyourpain.com/Introduction%20Page
This Doctor teaches the same theory as Dr. Sarno, it is just more updated and in my opinion the book is more helpful. With that said, Dr. Sarno's books are what I originally read and they are great also.
This website is also very impressive. It is filled with success stories. http://www.thankyoudrsarno.org/ If you go to amazon and search for Dr. Sarno, the reviews of success stories is truly amazing.
I just feel so incredibly lucky to have found my "cure". I was told my countless doctors that what I had was irreversible, that muscles have memory and that I would resent my kids from causing e so much pain, etc. Please, please give this a chance. You really have nothing to lose. Also, please write back with any other questions. I am so so happy to talk about this and help in any way possible. Good luck!
Before that, I had a partial hysterectomy, and through all of this in the past 2 years, going through a divorce that is still difficult for me emotionally, started school, working full time, and hit the big 40!..
A little bit of my history. I was a personal trainer for 16 yrs and have exercised for 25. I felt like a superhero up until all of this and now, it's starting to affect my work and well being. I have been meditating for almost 2 years and speaking to a therapist. I currently perform yoga and exercise when I can, I've gone to acupuncturist, massage, medication for sports medicine, PT and actually currently work in the hospital as a therapy tech.
I can actually feel the tightness in my mid to upper back come on when I know I have to work, which is where most of my pain continues. I've taken intermittent FMLA, but I fear that i will have to change positions or lose my job of 14 yrs with the hospital. i am now hopeful due to my personality and how I handle stress, that this truly could be a connection with my pain....I've never had pain up until the injury, but I do believe because of all of my life changes that it is still having lasting effects and is showing itself physically. Thank you for sharing your story and I have already ordered the book.
I am a firm believer in the mind body connection and have used meditation to help me get off of depression and anxiety medication
In the past years, I have been able to help SO many people. My family and friends who know my "story" have referred friends and friends of friends to me and I honestly have lost track of the number of people I have sent my story to and helped.
I was talking to a friend yesterday and told her my whole "story". It really is still crazy to me that I was once on pretty much bedrest for year dealing with MPS. My whole story is in the original thread.
Here I am, 7 years after this original post. I have had 2 children, 19 months apart, and take care of them full time. I am still 100% pain free from MPS. I have noticed over the years if I get into certain situations that are stressful to me or make me angry, the pain will try to come back. I am always, always able to get rid of it. I work out 6 days a week and run 3 miles about 5 days a week. Of course over the years I have tweaked my back here and there but it is nothing abnormal and always heals.
I honestly owe my happiness and quality of life to Dr. Sarno. Please take the time and visit my original post in this tread. I really am the proof you need to give this a shot.
GOOD LUCK and you CAN get better. And not just a little better, you CAN get all the way better. So many doctors told me that what I have is a disease and that muscle have memory, blah blah blah... Well that is simply not true.