Myofascial Pain
Myofascial pain is commonly described as a relentless deep, aching pain, almost like tooth ache; it can be sharp and stabbing. It is often difficult to pinpoint exactly where it is coming from. Sometimes pain can be ‘referred’ – there is discomfort in one area caused by restriction of the fascia at another point in the body. When people are in pain, movement is restricted. Other parts of the body compensate for this, overwork, and may become restricted themselves. If myofascial pain is accompanied by trigger points, this is called Myofascial Pain Syndrome.
Unexplained pain can be debilitating and exhausting and can lead to general increased anxiety, stress and low mood. Fascial restriction often goes undetected by conventional medical tests. This can be stressful, particularly if it appears as if nothing can be done about it.
Trigger Points
Trigger points are common to all of us and can be found throughout the whole body. They are areas of contracted muscle fibres which become active when we overwork the muscles and the surrounding soft tissue or joints. Usually they resolve themselves, but sometimes we are left with areas within the muscles remaining contracted when they no longer need to be contracted. Trigger points in muscles pull the body out of balance and can, in turn, place stress on other parts of the body that need to compensate.
Trigger points can come from a variety of sources. They can form if we continually repeat an action or maintain the same posture over a long period of time, (for example, typing on a computer). They are also formed after an accident or after falls or jolts. Trigger points can also follow physical or emotional shock, or during illness or recovery, or as a side effect of medication or smoking.
Trigger point pain often follows a predictable pattern in the body. It can be experienced as numbness, swelling, stiffness, sharp pain or tingling. It is common for it to move to different areas in the body and feel different from day to day. The pain is similar to myofascial pain. We can feel discomfort near the area of injury or in a completely different place in the body, which can lead to confusion and distress. Often, whatever we do to try to soothe the problem area, nothing seems to help, and the pain persists.
The benefits of myofascial release and trigger point therapy
Myofascial release and trigger point therapy enable the whole body to rebalance and the benefits are fast and effective:
- Back and joint pain, both acute and chronic
- Skeletal and muscular problems from neck to lumbar
- Shoulder pain / Frozen shoulder
- Elbow and wrist problems
- Knee and ankle sprains
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Repetitive Strain Injury
- Neck pain and restrictions
- Sports injuries
- Sciatica
- Migraine / Sinusitis / Facial pain
- Asthma and other respiratory problems
- Hernia and Heartburn
- Menstrual problems
- Digestive disorders
For more information about how we treat these conditions using myofascial release and trigger point therapy please see the treatments page.
