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. I'm new to the site. I have had pain in my hip and lower back for 5 months. I have gone to the doctor who referred me to physical therapy. When stretches didn't help, he sent me to pain management. Two shots in my back did nothing to help the pain. I am now getting knots in other muscles in my body. I have done research on my own and have found information on Myofascial Pain Syndrome. I'm sure this is what my problem is. Unfortunately, I'm getting no help at all from my doctor. I really want a care provider, but don't know how to go about getting one. I am extremely frustrated and depressed. I am a teacher, and getting through each day is a real struggle. Any suggestions?
Obviously, a diagnosis and ongoing care would be the ideal, to rule out anything particularly worrisome. You have to be extremely 'assertive' in getting referrals made, to the point of being obnoxious if needs be. I don't know what healthcare system you're in, so can't be more specific.
Do you know what started the pain? This is important in terms of diagnosis, but also to possibly avoid anything that is continuing to cause problems, like poor work station or standing for too long or lifting too heavy items.
That all said, you're doing the right things by your own research. Whatever else is going on you can bet good money that you'll have some trigger points in there causing extra pain and discomfort, and that's something you can work on yourself. And if you're a teacher you're probably going to have higher than normal stress levels.
There are some excellent prior posts about general management of mps that are worth you checking out.
Off the top of my head...
1. don't be afraid to really badger your doctor for the right referral and make complaints and even switch doctors if needs be. your health comes first.
2. assume you have mps and read up on the likely locations and learn how to do your own trigger point therapy using comfrey oil.
3. really work on reducing your stress in any way you can. mindfulness is a cliche, but underneath it is pure science about slowing down your brain waves leading to better health outcomes, so experimenting with different short meditations till you find one that works for you and doing it most days will make a difference to your stress levels
4. reduce general life stress as much as you possibly can. stress makes pain worse and reduces your coping skills
5. look at your lifestyle factors and see what might be making the pain worse and stop doing it if you can (overworking in poor conditions is a classic example)
6. develop a stretching routine (pilates, yoga, simple physio stretches, that sort of thing) makes a big difference
7. rest more than you are
8. keep doing research, use the posts below as a guide
9. if you have any symptoms of muscle weakness, or problems with your bladder or bowel control go straight to the emergency department and say you are concerned you may have cauda equina syndrome (which can be very serious if left)
10. keep badgering your doctor for referral to a physio, pain management specialist, neurology...each area is slightly different so hard to be specific. your work might be able to refer you to someone.
11. read books on general pain management techniques and implement some of the strategies
12. keep moving. it's tempting to move less when we hurt but this can lead to deconditioning which can be problematic on its own. the key is to move but not overdo things.
I know this board is quiet as a mouse these days, but there are still lots of really good resources here, well worth scrolling through a few.
You'll note I haven't mentioned pain medications. It's tempting to try and medicate yourself so you can keep going, but that will probably just make things worse (been there, done that, still dealing with the fallout). Pain can make you kind of crazy though, so there is a role for a bit especially when you're resting. Ibuprofen is better than codeine for mps, especially as you can rub it in as a gel. be very careful of taking too much of anything (always read the packet...a cliche but for a good reason).
Hope things improved
If you’re interested in my story and what I’ve done to greatly reduce my pain I describe it here: https://healingfromchronicpain.com/
And in my memoir, The Invisible Key: Unlocking the Mystery of My Chronic Pain. https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Key-Unlocking-Mystery-Chronic/dp/1734518901/
In short, I was in 9 months of horrible pain before I diagnosed myself with MPS/CMP. A physical medicine and rehab doctor (aka physiatrist) confirmed it when I finally went to one.
It turns out my pain had deep roots in past trauma, which is why I believe it’s been so stubborn. But once I recognized this, I finally began to get better. I’m still not 100% there, but I no longer want to be dead! And I do most activities I want to. I do spend much more time resting than I did before pain. But I don’t live with the levels of pain I used to.
What helped me the most was Myofascial release therapy, slow easy stretching, and reading about the mindbody connection (eg, Dr Sarno).
All the best to you!!