According to the Michigan Headache & Neurological institute, myofascial pain is probably one of the least understood and most frequently misdiagnosed types of pain. It is also one of the most common sources of pain in our population and results in a large number of doctor visits, missed work days, and missed social activities.

The word "myofascial" means related to muscle and fascia. Fascia is the connective tissue which surrounds the muscles in the body. So myofascial pain means pain that is coming from muscles and connective tissues.

This is a condition characterized by chronic pain in the muscle tissues, similar to fibromyalgia.  MPS is sometimes the aftermath of injury. Pain medication, anti-inflammatory medication, and therapies aimed at relaxing the muscles tissues (such as massage, chiropractic, and some forms of acupuncture) have been reported as beneficial.

How it Feels

This pain is a deep, aching, spreading, and sometimes sharp pain in muscle.  When you rub or massage the painful area, you may feel a painful, tight band or “knot” in the muscle.  These knots are known as “trigger points” because pressing on them can “trigger” more pain.  This pain can be right at the knot or it may spread to other nearby areas of the body.  For instance, pressing a trigger point at the top of the shoulder may cause both shoulder pain and an aching, painful feeling in the upper arm.

Causes

This kind of pain can have many causes.  Poor posture, overuse of muscles, and injury to muscles or nearby joints can all cause muscle pain and lead to trigger points.  Sometimes trigger points come from injuries to the spine or to the nerves supplying a muscle.  This pain can involve a single muscle or many muscles.  It may be present while you are active or when you are at rest.  Although almost any muscle can be involved, some of the most common sites of this pain are the neck, shoulders, head, and low back.

Treament

There are two main types of treatment for pain.  The first and most important treatment is exercise.  To reduce or get rid of myofascial pain, you can stretch the painful muscle, improve posture, and restore healthy muscle use.  Your health care team will teach you exercises that you can use at home to stretch the muscles and relieve your pain.  If you keep exercising even after the pain is better, you will help prevent the problem from coming back.

The second type of treatment lessens pain at the trigger points themselves.  Ice, moist heat, and massage can be very helpful.  If a trigger point is very painful, your doctor may use a thin needle to inject it.  This helps to make the “knot” smaller and makes it less painful so that you can exercise better.  Acupuncture, relaxation training, biofeedback, and other treatments may also be helpful.  Pain medicines can help too, but they do not work as well when used alone.  To combine treatments is the best way to treat this pain.