Oww!
07-17-2003, 10:55 AM
OK, so I just went to the doctor and she said that I have Chronic Myofascial Pain. I've already had this for a year though it has changed alot from beginning to end but I'm willing to accept managing it for the rest of my life even though it may clear up eventually. The doctor couldn't be sure either way. I was wondering if I would be able to continue weightlifting with it? Would I be able to increase my strength? What if I wanted to get serious about it and wanted to increase my size? I go to the gym now though I stay away from heavy lifting and as long as I stretch I don't have any increased pain the following day. I even feel better usually after I work out! Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
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twisten
07-17-2003, 09:48 PM
Hi there. I also have chronic myofascial pain. I can't answer your question (can barely make it up or downstairs some days lol) but wanted to let you know there is someone else with this horrible condition. I can tolerate some light stretching and that is about it. Of course I do stuff that has to be done, such as vacuuming and dusting, but I pay for it after. All I've been told is to do no more than what I can tolerate. As soon as it gets painful I am to quit, so if your not having any pain I don't see why you couldn't keep working at it. Just take things nice and slow. Good luck and I hope things work out well for you.
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Hmm where should I begin?? Crohn's disease, sacroiilitis-crohn's related, scoliosis, spina bifida occulta, chronic myofascial pain, tmjd and migraines. Still waiting for bone scan and bone density test to tell me what else is wrong with me!! Too many surgeries to list!!
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Hmm where should I begin?? Crohn's disease, sacroiilitis-crohn's related, scoliosis, spina bifida occulta, chronic myofascial pain, tmjd and migraines. Still waiting for bone scan and bone density test to tell me what else is wrong with me!! Too many surgeries to list!!
Oww!
07-17-2003, 10:36 PM
Sorry to hear about your pain! Is it all from Myofascial? Mine is mostly just an annoyance from sitting too long or playing video games though it can hurt from other things. I got mine from a muscle injury a year ago and I had many misdiagnosis of nerve damage and muscle damage but this time the doc said I have none of that remaining, just trigger points. It is hard to believe that pain can exist even without any source. Have you tried tennis ball therapy?
Jack Beanstalk
07-17-2003, 10:53 PM
It sounds like you,re fightin your sentence laid down to ya instead of throwin in the towel.It,s a known fact that many a man/woman has been made better when they choose to fight!Here,s to ya,Oww!How bout a bit of info like how old are you,how long with the pain,what meds,a bit more about this Myofacial disease.I think this info would be helpful.(FYI,Oww,I am training a fella for the Mr.N.C.,heavyweight Bodybuilding Show.)Jack Beanstalk
twisten
07-17-2003, 11:15 PM
Well Oww, I've got so much wrong with me that I don't know what has caused what lol!! Seriously now, they tell me that it can coincide with crohns disease and that it is the cause of my tmj and my migraines. I was ran over by a tractor when I was 10 so it may have started from that but the doctors aren't sure. No one believed me for a long, long time and it went untreated so now I will probably always have it to deal with. I have trigger points allover my body such as my back, my jaw, my hands and feet and so on. Yes I have tried tennis ball therapy but my hands would really stiffen up after so I had to quit. Glad to hear yours is manageable and I hope it stays that way and doesn't progress. Good luck with the weight lifting and let us know how you are doing.
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Hmm where should I begin?? Crohn's disease, sacroiilitis-crohn's related, scoliosis, spina bifida occulta, chronic myofascial pain, tmjd and migraines. Still waiting for bone scan and bone density test to tell me what else is wrong with me!! Too many surgeries to list!!
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Hmm where should I begin?? Crohn's disease, sacroiilitis-crohn's related, scoliosis, spina bifida occulta, chronic myofascial pain, tmjd and migraines. Still waiting for bone scan and bone density test to tell me what else is wrong with me!! Too many surgeries to list!!
Oww!
07-18-2003, 09:01 AM
Well, I'm 20 years old and I've had it for about a year now though it is much different from how it was during the earlier half of the time. I got it from a muscle injury that wasn't terrible to start with but much worse than now. It only got worse while I continued working unlike most muscle injurys which clear up when I just ignore them. I even left work at the beginning of it for 2 weeks with limited success although the lower back and arm pain eventually cleared up. My upper back got worse though so I quit the job and started treating it with tennis ball, stretching and what ever I was told to do by the doc. It started doing better when I started taking elavil in march and I've been taking it since along with Vitamin B6. I was just diagnosed with Myofascial 2 days ago and the doc said i had no nerve or tissue damage left so I was kind of happy. What happened was that I grew about an inch and a half which I didn't expect because I haven't grown for 3 years before that. About at the time it happened some of the refered pain spots left my left rhomboid (the injured area) while some formed on my right side in the same spot. My right side usually never hurts and I can control it while my left is more dificult. I just cant get why I would have pain if their is nothing really wrong with me.
grizzk62
07-18-2003, 03:15 PM
Oww,
I thinkl that excercises would be good for your condition. But I think that lifting wieghts can do some harm in mayofacial pain syndrome. I have a horrible back from breaking it 18yrs ago. And have had 4 surgerys. And it is my understanding that most of us CPers are more likely to have mayofacial pain symdrone and CFS. I been told that after a major injury that they all go hand in hand. At least thats what my PM doc has told me. I do have a light exercise program but I don't lift any wieghts. There is just to many things that can happen while lifting wieghts that can further damage. And we certainly don't need to do that. I would however check with your doctor and PT and get their opinions first. anyway welcome to the boards and keep us informed as to your progress.....
Matt
I thinkl that excercises would be good for your condition. But I think that lifting wieghts can do some harm in mayofacial pain syndrome. I have a horrible back from breaking it 18yrs ago. And have had 4 surgerys. And it is my understanding that most of us CPers are more likely to have mayofacial pain symdrone and CFS. I been told that after a major injury that they all go hand in hand. At least thats what my PM doc has told me. I do have a light exercise program but I don't lift any wieghts. There is just to many things that can happen while lifting wieghts that can further damage. And we certainly don't need to do that. I would however check with your doctor and PT and get their opinions first. anyway welcome to the boards and keep us informed as to your progress.....
Matt
littlelulu1937
07-18-2003, 03:45 PM
Yo one of the above posters: I'm unclear how your hands stiffened up after "tennis ball therapy".
BTW, there are a few other massage tools that can be used in doing trigger point therapy which can be purchased from a massage equipment source over the internet for not very much money. I personally prefer a harder rubber ball to a tennis ball. A lacrosse ball is also often recommended.
BTW, the source of your pain IS MOST LIKELY THE TRIGGER POINTS. You have to massge them at least half a dozen times or more a day for short periods---a dozen times is even better---for self-induced TP therapy to really be effective.
BTW, there are a few other massage tools that can be used in doing trigger point therapy which can be purchased from a massage equipment source over the internet for not very much money. I personally prefer a harder rubber ball to a tennis ball. A lacrosse ball is also often recommended.
BTW, the source of your pain IS MOST LIKELY THE TRIGGER POINTS. You have to massge them at least half a dozen times or more a day for short periods---a dozen times is even better---for self-induced TP therapy to really be effective.
twisten
07-18-2003, 09:43 PM
Yo littlulu (couldn't resist sorry lol) My hands stiffen up after any use such as writing, typing, holding a mouse, peeling potatoes. I am assuming tennis ball therapy is where you try to squeeze a ball? Am I correct or is there something else that may help? I had carpal tunnel surgery a few years ago but turns out I never had it that it was this myofascial pain syndrome instead.
Jack Beanstalk
07-19-2003, 12:22 AM
Howdy,OWWW,it don,t sound like sound advice to try and go too serious with the weights at this time.I think it may be wise to get limitations spelled out by the doc,first,cause like the other guys said,you don,t wanna inflict more injury or added pain to yourself.Go light on the weights(if that,s what your doc suggests)and try to mix a bit of stretches and some cardio in there and you oughta stay in pretty good condition.You are still very young so try to be cool,and don,t play the fool,keep the weights light,till things look alright!(Excuse the corny poetry,tell me what the doc says) Jack Beanstalk
littlelulu1937
07-19-2003, 05:08 AM
As I understand dealing with the pain of "trigger points", any exercise is not recommended (& can be counter-productive) until the tender TP "knot"(s) in the muscle is eliminated. A muscle is "shortened" by the presence of an active trigger point (think of a muscle as a rope with a knot in it, which knot would automatically shorten the rope). Exercise in that area would tend to further stress/strain an already shortened (& stressed/strained/spasmed) muscle, setting up an even worse possible scenerio (i.e. the possibility of creating additional painful trigger points near the site).
For that reason, I get the impression that "trigger point therapy" for myofascial pain is at odds with something like, say, traditional "physical therapy" as it doesn't believe the body is yet ready for any half serious exercise until ALL trigger points in a particular area are first eliminated. Makes sense to me, so I probably wouldn't recommend further weight-lifting as a great idea at this point, but that's just my humble opinion.
You really should do some research on this subject since you've now been "officially" diagnosed. You'll probably end up being more of an expert than your doctor on pain, which, unfortunately, might not be that hard to do. Nothing against physcians as they've saved my hide, so to speak, in a couple of very difficult surgeries---I just don't think that pain, its causes & relief, is currently their bag. Again, just my opinion.
For that reason, I get the impression that "trigger point therapy" for myofascial pain is at odds with something like, say, traditional "physical therapy" as it doesn't believe the body is yet ready for any half serious exercise until ALL trigger points in a particular area are first eliminated. Makes sense to me, so I probably wouldn't recommend further weight-lifting as a great idea at this point, but that's just my humble opinion.
You really should do some research on this subject since you've now been "officially" diagnosed. You'll probably end up being more of an expert than your doctor on pain, which, unfortunately, might not be that hard to do. Nothing against physcians as they've saved my hide, so to speak, in a couple of very difficult surgeries---I just don't think that pain, its causes & relief, is currently their bag. Again, just my opinion.
Oww!
07-19-2003, 10:08 AM
Usually I release trigger points with a tennis ball before and after weightlifting (which I have been doing for 3 months now since the doc told me to lift light weights). It dosn't usually hurt when I work out and even feels better afterward! I even tried heavy weights with not to much of a problem. I didn't think the trigger points could be iliminated without them coming back later so does this mean i should give it up entirely?
littlelulu1937
07-19-2003, 12:43 PM
Again, I'm not an expert on the subject, but if you're sure you've eliminated all your TP knots (but it doesn't really seem like you have from reading some of your most recent posts as you're still complaining about pain in your Rhomboid Muscle), then you could gradually go back into weighlifting with the proviso that you continue to do "maintenance" therapy probably most importantly immediately before & after your weightlifting, et al sessions (consider them "warm-up" & "cool-down" exercises) to keep trigger points from reestablishing themselves.
In the end, it's a free country & you can handle your pain problem any way you want. From personal experience, I'm just biased toward TP massage therapy after using it to deal with residual pain from a sprained knee early this year and then any other subsequent pain areas that might pop up.
In the end, it's a free country & you can handle your pain problem any way you want. From personal experience, I'm just biased toward TP massage therapy after using it to deal with residual pain from a sprained knee early this year and then any other subsequent pain areas that might pop up.
twisten
07-19-2003, 07:49 PM
Littlelulu, hope you don't mind my asking, how long you have had chronic myofascial pain? You seem so knowledgeable about it. I myself only found out about a month ago so I've still got lots and lots to learn. I just found out what tennis ball therapy was lol!!
littlelulu1937
07-20-2003, 04:14 PM
As to my situation, I'm not much of a sufferer of chronic pain, although I will be 66 (how did that happen??) next month. Just occasional dull pains from building brick patios in the garden---that sort of thing. Can't even say I've had a headache in over 40 years.
However, I did sprain or strain my knee somehow back in March of this year, which caused me excruciating 24-hour throbbing pain. After trying bed rest, & "alternative" treatments, without relief. I finally turned myself into an orthopedist for x-rays & a "prescription" to an ibeprofin (sp?) regimen. In three weeks, this had cleared up about 80% of the pain. Somehow, in the meantime, in researching "sprains" (never having had one before, I was pretty dumb aboout them) on the internet, I came across a book on "trigger point massage therapy", which I ordered & started using. In very short order, the residue of knee pain went away (in fact, immediately after doing the first short few minutes massage, I was back in my garden working for the first time in a couple of months. Although some of the pain came back that day after about 4 hours, I was pretty sure I was on the right track with more attention to my pain-causing triggerpoints.) As it turned out to be the case. I also had been bothered for several months previously by a mysterious "buckling" knee & the TP massage seems to have cleared that up also.
At any rate, currently I use the "tennis ball therapy" for occasional sore hips & lower/mid back & shoulder pain. Fortunately, at this point in my life, I still live in a maybe "2" in the "1 to 10 on the scale" pain world, where a simple single aspirin ususally suffices. However, I realize everyone is not in that situation (& I probably won't always be either) so I have gotten very interested in the subject of pain relief & thought others might be also.
If I can be of any further help, please don't hesitate to inquire.
However, I did sprain or strain my knee somehow back in March of this year, which caused me excruciating 24-hour throbbing pain. After trying bed rest, & "alternative" treatments, without relief. I finally turned myself into an orthopedist for x-rays & a "prescription" to an ibeprofin (sp?) regimen. In three weeks, this had cleared up about 80% of the pain. Somehow, in the meantime, in researching "sprains" (never having had one before, I was pretty dumb aboout them) on the internet, I came across a book on "trigger point massage therapy", which I ordered & started using. In very short order, the residue of knee pain went away (in fact, immediately after doing the first short few minutes massage, I was back in my garden working for the first time in a couple of months. Although some of the pain came back that day after about 4 hours, I was pretty sure I was on the right track with more attention to my pain-causing triggerpoints.) As it turned out to be the case. I also had been bothered for several months previously by a mysterious "buckling" knee & the TP massage seems to have cleared that up also.
At any rate, currently I use the "tennis ball therapy" for occasional sore hips & lower/mid back & shoulder pain. Fortunately, at this point in my life, I still live in a maybe "2" in the "1 to 10 on the scale" pain world, where a simple single aspirin ususally suffices. However, I realize everyone is not in that situation (& I probably won't always be either) so I have gotten very interested in the subject of pain relief & thought others might be also.
If I can be of any further help, please don't hesitate to inquire.
jasonswife
07-22-2003, 12:38 PM
you all seem to know what myofacial pain/syndrome is, could someone please explain it?? please !!! this is my first post- i registered to ask this question. i have some kind of very painful sacrum back problem that the docs haven't figured out yet. i've had 2 MRIs, a catscan, a bonescan, physical therapy, bloodwork, injections into the ligament over my right sacrum, injections under x-ray into my sacrum joints, and i can't remember what else. it's been 1 1/2 years and it's getting much worse with time to the point i was pulled from work a month ago. i have read a little about myofacial pain (tissue damage, right?), and it seems this could be what i have, but i don't have tigger points. please share your knowledge of this topic. thanks
littlelulu1937
07-22-2003, 10:49 PM
Myofascial Pain meams muscle/soft tissue pain. Just about everyone living, including babies & children, develop "triggerpoints"---older people tend to have more because they have more years to develop themm.
Oww!
07-25-2003, 12:00 AM
How is everyone doing? I was just away for a few days for my college orientation. I changed my major from computer science to biology because of my back and ya know what? All of my class mates are girls!!! Happy day!!! Anyway I just read this good book on myofascial pain and it really uplifted me. I learned hundreds of ways to treat my problem and I learned what fibromalagia is too! Right now I'll just stick with the tennis ball cause thats all i really need. The pain is usually never more than an annoyance anyway. For a few days after I found out what I had I was struggling! The shock and fear I had magnified my pain to a high level. I felt trapped like I wouldn't be able to do anything again. Whenever I slept I had bizarre dreams and when I woke up I had repeated panic attacks realizing that I still am stuck with my problem. Usually I calm down when I get out of bed but Im over it now. Ive been reading up on it but am shocked at how little docs know about it even now. What also shocks me is that the more confidence and tolarance i develope, the less pain I am in!!! I do miss playing video games though. I still feel that there is no reason I should have to put up with this forever because I don't have any co existing condition to perpetuate it. Im not going to stop fighting until im cured!!!