Myofascial pain syndrome - trigger point help!

J

Jesse668

New Member
Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some reassurance about my myofascial pain syndrome. I've read posts on trigger points which have helped, but I'm hoping to hear more.
My pain started about a year and a half ago in my right trapezius muscle. With a little physio, it went away. Then this spring it came back with a vengeance. I now have trigger points, but not just tender spots. These are muscle bands all the way up my spine and especially near my neck and in trapezius muscles. One doctor told me one was the size of a golf ball. They are all so connected my back just feels like one big trigger point.
The doctor told me it was due to no oxygen in the muscles (same as TMS) but said it was likely caused by poor ergonomics and not taking breaks at work. So, I have taken time off work but there hasn't been a big change.
I guess my question is - how do I know this is TmS and not caused by overuse or cumulative trauma over time? Lack of physical activity and poor posture?
Also, I started to convince myself it was TMS, but the pain hasnt gone and the muscle bands havent Changed. Also,I will get excruciating pain. I try so hard to figure out what I was thinking or doing at the time, but last night I was just playing a game at a friends house. I hadn't been there in a while so I feel it couldn't have been a conditioned response.
Also, if it is my anxiety, I have always been an anxious person. So if I'm always going to be an anxious person, will this just always be the way I feel anxiety?
Does anyone have any advice? Just feel I'm struggling. I try so hard to ignore the pain and talk to my brain all day. But then I'm just exhausted by the end of the day.
Any advice?? Sorry this is all over the place that's just where I'm at.

Jesse
 
Also, i read on here that because the pain is psychological that muscle relaxants wouldn't work. But, before grain about TMS I took flexeril and it did work. Thoughts?
 
Hello Jesse. For many of us, truly accepting the TMS diagnosis is just a first step. Don't be discouraged though because in the big picture, the time you end up spending on working on the TMS and gaining some control over it will improve the quality of the rest of your life. Although we all have much in common, everyone's journey in individual in this process. Some have immediate recovery through knowledge and reading a book, others need more intensive work. The pain levels on the path to recovery are generally very inconsistent, often increasing when you are getting closer to a breakthrough. Ups and downs seem to be the norm. This can all be very confusing and frustrating which also tends to feed the syndrome which is also very aggravating. Some see anxiety as a contributing factor to the TMS and others say anxiety serves the same purpose as the pain, to distract from feeling repressed emotions. I also have seen myself as an anxious person, as though this was a part of my personality. But now I have found as I work on the TMS, I am also learning that is not true. For a while my anxiety was increasing and that was very distressing. But now it seems to be subsiding and I feel somehow that I am getting closer to discovering what this is all about. In terms of advice, I am not sure what you have tried so far. It seems as though you are really trying to accept the TMS diagnosis but would like some kind of proof first. Sometimes you have to really exhaust all the physical possibilities before you are ready to take the leap into the TMS diagnosis. And it does take a leap because if you are looking for the symptoms to improve first before you can believe, it unfortunately doesn't work that way. Perhaps start with Alan Gordon's recovery program on this site or the Structured Educational Program. They are both very good.
 
Jesse, if the flexeril worked, then why are you still in pain? There are lots of things that can give you temporary relief of symptoms - pain killers, alcohol, massage, physical therapy, muscle relaxers, shots, surgery etc. If they work, great. If they bring long term relief even if it is do to a placebo effect, what does it matter if you are pain free and happy? The problem is a lot of these have only been short term solutions for those of us suffering from TMS. The good news is that there is a way out of this that can bring permanent relief, but it can take a lot of work and patience.
 
Thanks for taking the time to respond. Ah you are right about the flexeril. I thought it meant it wouldn't work at all since it was a muscle relaxant and I had a lack of oxygen. It definitely was not a permanent cure or I wouldn't be here! Thanks for all the advice. I have read all 3 books and have started journaling. I think I just expected faster progress after reading of all the book cures! I will keep it up and hope for the best. Thanks for the message!
 
Jesse668 said:
Thanks for taking the time to respond. Ah you are right about the flexeril. I thought it meant it wouldn't work at all since it was a muscle relaxant and I had a lack of oxygen. It definitely was not a permanent cure or I wouldn't be here! Thanks for all the advice. I have read all 3 books and have started journaling. I think I just expected faster progress after reading of all the book cures! I will keep it up and hope for the best. Thanks for the message!
Click to expand...
Jesse,
Have you had any luck in your TMS journey? I recently recognized my TMS symptoms and I am attempting to heal my chronic pain from the last year.
 
Jesse668 said:
Hi everyone,
I'm hoping to get some reassurance about my myofascial pain syndrome. I've read posts on trigger points which have helped, but I'm hoping to hear more.
My pain started about a year and a half ago in my right trapezius muscle. With a little physio, it went away. Then this spring it came back with a vengeance. I now have trigger points, but not just tender spots. These are muscle bands all the way up my spine and especially near my neck and in trapezius muscles. One doctor told me one was the size of a golf ball. They are all so connected my back just feels like one big trigger point.
The doctor told me it was due to no oxygen in the muscles (same as TMS) but said it was likely caused by poor ergonomics and not taking breaks at work. So, I have taken time off work but there hasn't been a big change.
I guess my question is - how do I know this is TmS and not caused by overuse or cumulative trauma over time? Lack of physical activity and poor posture?
Also, I started to convince myself it was TMS, but the pain hasnt gone and the muscle bands havent Changed. Also,I will get excruciating pain. I try so hard to figure out what I was thinking or doing at the time, but last night I was just playing a game at a friends house. I hadn't been there in a while so I feel it couldn't have been a conditioned response.
Also, if it is my anxiety, I have always been an anxious person. So if I'm always going to be an anxious person, will this just always be the way I feel anxiety?
Does anyone have any advice? Just feel I'm struggling. I try so hard to ignore the pain and talk to my brain all day. But then I'm just exhausted by the end of the day.
Any advice?? Sorry this is all over the place that's just where I'm at.

Jesse
Click to expand...
Hi Jesse,
I developed myofasial pain syndrome and terribly painful trigger points in 2005. And when I first read Sarno in 2006, I, too thought I'd quickly be better, like so many people you hear or read about. But it's a much slower process for some of us. But know that I've made remarkable progress via reading about TMS and through mindbody-based myofasial release bodywork.

I was nearly suicidal for 2 years, but then when I recognized that repressed emotions were driving my pain, the trigger points finally calmed down. They haven't completely gone away yet, but they're so much better now!!

The funny thing about TrPs, is that you feel this physical knot, but they really are driven by your brain either depriving oxygen or continuously tensing as if your body is constantly bracing against fear or any host of emotions. At least this is my interpretation based on what I've read and what I experience.

Anyway, I've tried to reduce my focus on what causes the trigger points to feel the way they do. Instead, I work on releasing emotions that are likely fueling the tension and oxygen deprivation in my body. But because reading Sarno and related books haven't been an instant cure for me, and because my body is slowly adjusting to becoming pain free, I have done things to temporarily relieve the pain, like trigger point injections or structural myofasial release therapy (which can also tap into emotions, so its a two-fer for me). But I only do the temporary structural/physical remedies occasionally, or until they stop being effective--like the injections--and I still know that it's the emotional stuff that will ultimately help me truly get rid of the pain.

Here's a link to my website that I recently created that describes my journey of healing from chronic myofasial pain (if your interested in more details of my experiences): www.healingfromchronicpain.com

I guess I just want to say: don't get too discouraged if becoming pain free isn't happening fast. But just trust that you're on the right path.

I hope this helps in some way. I'm still on this journey myself, so I can't speak too authoritatively since I still have daily pain. But my pain is FAR LESS than it was for the first two years. I have to thank Dr John Sarno for describing the mindbody connection and John Barnes for his method of myofasial release because it helped me tap into hidden emotions, which can be hidden and held in our fascia. Sounds wacky, but it's what I experienced.

Good luck and trust that the trigger points are driven by emotions, but don't be hard on yourself if you do something just for some temporary relief to help you function while you're body is processing the emotional stuff. Just my 2 cents. Others may disagree and say don't do any of the other stuff, but that's how I've managed over the years. (Sorry if I'm babbling a bit.) :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top