10 YR plus issue with bruxism, possible PTSD and asthma

Posted by bumblebee @veranopage, Dec 3, 2018

I am looking for assistance for a friend of mine. She has been suffering from several symptoms for the last 10+ years. She is 30 yrs old and has a slim build, about 5'4. She has anxiety and possibly PTSD, partly because of a past relationship. She has asthma, scoliosis and Reynaud's syndrome (phenomenon) . In addition to those she has one leg that is slightly shorter than the other by less than an inch. Also has teeth grinding issues, called bruxism and deals with constant jaw pain and migraine headaches. She is tense quite often, and when I say tense, I mean her whole body. She went to get a deep tissue massage and the massage therapist couldn't believe the knot that was on her upper back. She is on her 3rd mouth guard due to bruxism but this doesnt always help, in fact it rarely does. She always has trouble sleeping.
She is on the following drugs- atenolol
bupropion
Ambien CR (zolpidem)
Apri (desogestrel / ethinyl estradiol)
Luvox (fluvoxamine)

I truly want the best for her. With that being said, what can we do to start resolving this? She has seen many doctors but no one has yet to say what could be the issue. This all started back when she was in middle school. Bruxism may run in the family as well.

ALSO- Please advise if this should go into another thread! I believe the root cause is myofascial pain syndrome, bruxism is just a symptom of it. Correct me if I am wrong!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

Hi @veranopage

I wanted to introduce you to fellow Connect members @windwalker who has experience with Raynaud's, as well as @etaniguchi @peggyella and @spott as they all have experience with bruxism.

Back to you @veranopage how have you been feeling lately?

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Thanks for including those individuals. I have also made a discovery on this, just as of today, that some anti-depressants can cause TMJ. However, it is unclear if this is the cause, or an underlying issue.

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As a temporary fix I think myofascial release may be helpful, or is there some other type of massage treatment that would be better? such as, but not limited to cranialsacral therapy

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@veranopage

As a temporary fix I think myofascial release may be helpful, or is there some other type of massage treatment that would be better? such as, but not limited to cranialsacral therapy

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@bumble I think myofascial release will help. I do this therapy and have issues with tightness in my neck, jaw and chest . I have thoracic outlet syndrome, and have had a spine problem with spinal cord compression & spine surgery. I know enough about MFR to be able to treat myself in-between visits to my therapist. I used to grind out my dental fillings on one side because my jaw pressure was too tight on that side, but that doesn't happen anymore.

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@jenniferhunter

@bumble I think myofascial release will help. I do this therapy and have issues with tightness in my neck, jaw and chest . I have thoracic outlet syndrome, and have had a spine problem with spinal cord compression & spine surgery. I know enough about MFR to be able to treat myself in-between visits to my therapist. I used to grind out my dental fillings on one side because my jaw pressure was too tight on that side, but that doesn't happen anymore.

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She did an hour of myofascial treatment and that didnt help much, but didnt hurt. Her main pain is coming from the back of her neck now, any suggestions? She has a lot of tension there and in her upper back.

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@bumblebee, @jenniferhunter Good morning, thanks for the feedback. I have a couple of thoughts about the MFR treatment. Did she talk about the tension in her neck with the MFR therapist? Usually, my MFR therapist asks me to walk up and down the room so that he/she can see what areas might have restrictions that are visible to the MFR therapist and they begin treatment in that region of the body. Also, results improve once the fascia in the area becomes unrestricted. That may take several treatments before the results are evident. Or there may be layers of fascia and it takes time to release the restriction in each layer. Also check the level of the therapist. It should be at the Expert Level. That likely means that they have had special training for the head/neck (cranial sacral) areas. You may want to ask about a cervical collar to wear as recommended. They also give support where needed while the tissue is healing. Another option I keep handy is a neck wrap that I put in the microwave and then place around my neck.

Jennifer, please check me out on these recommendations. I think we have to remember that our heads weigh about 13 lbs. that we have to carry around wherever we go. It needs good support. Best wishes for a pain-free day. Chris

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@veranopage

She did an hour of myofascial treatment and that didnt help much, but didnt hurt. Her main pain is coming from the back of her neck now, any suggestions? She has a lot of tension there and in her upper back.

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@bumblebee @veranopage A single hour of MFR work is just the beginning. These are deep seated problems under layers of internal tight tissue and this is a slow healing process. A expert in MFR wouldn't just do a single treatment. You can find a list of therapists trained in the John Barne's methods at myofascialrelease.com

Here are a lot of articles and resources-

https://myofascialrelease.com/about/problems-mfr-helps.aspx

Benefits of Massage-Myofascial Release Therapy on Pain, Anxiety, Quality of Sleep, Depression, and Quality of Life in Patients with Fibromyalgia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018656/

Therapeutic Insight: The Myofascial Release Perspective—Depression John Barnes
https://www.massagemag.com/therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspectivedepression-8584/

Use Fascia as a Lever John Barnes
https://myofascialrelease.com/downloads/articles/FasciaAsALever.pdf

Therapeutic Insight: The Myofascial Release Perspective—Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Shock
https://www.massagemag.com/therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspectivesympathetic-and-parasympathetic-shock-7709/

Lumbo Sacral Decompression video with John Barnes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9v7hzr_IqE

Therapeutic Insight: The John F. Barnes' Myofascial Release Perspective—Rufus, the Cat
https://www.massagemag.com/therapeutic-insight-the-john-f-barnes-myofascial-release-perspectiverufus-the-cat-12559/

There's the Rub
https://myofascialrelease.com/downloads/articles/TheresTheRub.pdf

Therapeutic Insight: The Myofascial Release Perspective—Myofascial/Osseous Release
https://www.massagemag.com/therapeutic-insight-the-myofascial-release-perspective-myofascialosseous-release-7597/

Therapeutic Insight Articles
https://myofascialrelease.com/resources/therapeutic-insight.aspx

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@artscaping

@bumblebee, @jenniferhunter Good morning, thanks for the feedback. I have a couple of thoughts about the MFR treatment. Did she talk about the tension in her neck with the MFR therapist? Usually, my MFR therapist asks me to walk up and down the room so that he/she can see what areas might have restrictions that are visible to the MFR therapist and they begin treatment in that region of the body. Also, results improve once the fascia in the area becomes unrestricted. That may take several treatments before the results are evident. Or there may be layers of fascia and it takes time to release the restriction in each layer. Also check the level of the therapist. It should be at the Expert Level. That likely means that they have had special training for the head/neck (cranial sacral) areas. You may want to ask about a cervical collar to wear as recommended. They also give support where needed while the tissue is healing. Another option I keep handy is a neck wrap that I put in the microwave and then place around my neck.

Jennifer, please check me out on these recommendations. I think we have to remember that our heads weigh about 13 lbs. that we have to carry around wherever we go. It needs good support. Best wishes for a pain-free day. Chris

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@artscaping Hi Chris. Yes, good advice. I'm not sure if a cervical collar would help because usually the problem is that the body isn't moving correctly. I just posted a lot of information I looked up today. Yes, you need an expert level therapist who can feel these things through their hands. You can always call Therapy on the Rocks in Sedona , AZ and ask for a recommendation. I've been doing this MFR work about 4 years, and I still have more work to do. I really does help.

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Thanks for the additional information. She is mainly complaining of pain in the lower back of her head, back of her neck areas. During this time of pain she also has very bad headaches that make her dizzy and impact eye sight.

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@veranopage

Thanks for the additional information. She is mainly complaining of pain in the lower back of her head, back of her neck areas. During this time of pain she also has very bad headaches that make her dizzy and impact eye sight.

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@bumblebee How well I know this pain. These headaches are brutal and they are real. My sympathies for anyone dealing with them.

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