@bretrow100, Welcome to Connect and Good Evening Tonia. Thank you for coming to Connect where the mission is to help our members discover and welcome a better quality of life. And thank you for sharing your diagnosis of Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome. As you know, fascia, as a protective covering is everywhere in our bodies, covering organs and blood vessels, muscles and other body components. When, because of injury or overuse, the fascia becomes restricted and we experience pain. Fascia also accumulates in protective layers. If the layers are stacked up then it might take some hands-on treatment.

Would you feel comfortable sharing any medications that you rely on currently? How has the discomfort evolved from age 3 to 45?

I also have chronic myofascial pain all the time, every minute of every day. Mine is from falling off horses and down mountains. Even orthopedic surgeries appear to have left some fascia in restriction.

Have you heard of or tried a treatment called Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR)? For me, that is a great part of my "solution".
We have a member who is very knowledgeable about MFR. @jenniferhunter, would you be able to say hello to Tonia and show her the Connect discussion page that you created?

May you have a restful sleep tonight. Chris

@bretrow100 Hello, Tonia, and thank you Chris for inviting me to this discussion. We all develop our own patterns of how our body moves... or doesn't... and when we stop moving normally, the fascia layers start to adhere together and bind us in a restricted position. It happens with overuse, as in repetitive stress of doing the same thing all the time, but also from injuries, and from scars within the fascia when it is cut during surgery or injuries that tear it. All of that makes everything too tight, and it can put pressure on nerves causing pain or blood vessels impairing circulation. It also interferes with removal of waste produts from the tissues and it accumulates in the fascia.

There is hope as Chris mentioned with myofascial release therapy which uses a gentle shearing to release layers which is kind of like kneading bread dough except that you push and hold it and wait for a release to begin. It takes a lot of this to release years or restrictions, so be patient and proud of the progress you make. This method was created by John Barnes, so find a therapist who has trained with his practice. There are other ways to release fascia, and some gadgets that are marketed for this purpose that are too aggressive and will create more problems by tearing the fascia and creating more scar tissue. I have been at this for a few years and making progress with thoracic outlet syndrome, and also the scar tissue from a cervical spine surgery. You may also want to look at information about thoracic outlet syndrome as it may have some overlap with your symptoms and it can be caused by overuse and injuries.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353988
Here is a link with a lot of information and you will find a provider search on the myofascialrelease.com website. Once you learn how to do this, you can self treat and make better progress after a therapist shows you how.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/