Sprain/Strain Treatment


Myofascial Pain Syndrome (Muscle Pain)

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is the medical term to simply describe pain of the muscle. It includes not only pain, but inflammation of the body's muscular soft tissues structures.
Myofascial pain is a chronic condition that affects the connective tissue (fascia) which surrounds and bundles the muscle fibers. Myofascial pain syndrome can involve either a single muscle or a muscle group. In some cases, referral pain can be the culprit, meaning that the area where a person experiences the pain may not be where the myofascial pain generator is located. Researchers believe that the actual site of pain or injuryprompts the development of a trigger point which can cause pain in other areas.

What Causes Myofascial Pain?

Myofascial pain may stem from a direct injury of the muscle or from excessive strain on a particular muscle group, ligament or tendon. Other causes:

  • Injury to intervertebral disc
  • Dehydration
  • General fatigue
  • Repetitive motions
  • Poor posture
  • Medical conditions (including heart attack, stomach irritation)
  • Sedentary or disuse (such as a broken arm in a sling)

What Are the Symptoms MPS?

MPS symptoms frequently involve localized pain with specific "trigger" or "tender" points that may refer to other regions of the body or muscle group. The pain can progress with increased or normal activity and stress. Moreover, patients with these symptoms may also suffer from depression, fatigue and behavioral disturbances.

How Is Myofascial Pain Diagnosed?

Trigger points can be identified by pain that results when pressure is applied to an area of the patient’s body. In the diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome, four types of trigger points can be distinguished:

  • An active trigger point is an area of extreme tenderness that usually lies within the skeletal muscle and which is associated with a local or regional pain.
  • A latent trigger point is a dormant (inactive) area that has the potential to act like a trigger point.
  • A secondary trigger point is a highly irritable spot in a muscle that can become active due to a trigger point and muscular overload in another muscle.
  • A satellite myofascial point is a highly irritable spot in a muscle that becomes inactive because the muscle is in the region of another trigger pain.

How Is Myofascial Pain Treated?

  • Graston Technique
  • Medical Massage therapy
  • Myofascial Release Technique (MRT)
  • "Stretch and spray" technique: This treatment involves spraying the muscle and trigger point with a coolant and then slowly stretching the muscle.
  • Trigger Point Therapy
  • Physical Therapy

In some chronic cases of myofascial pain, combinations of trigger point injections, physical therapy, and massage are needed. In select cases, medication is used to treat other conditions that often occur with myofascial pain, such as insomnia and depression.