Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

@henribaai Sometimes my neuropathy pain and inability to swallow generate anxiety, and sometimes a panic attack. Chest pain is one of the signs of anxiety disorder and panic disorder, and headaches can be another sign.

Jim

@gingerw Hi I understand in the cold weather . Coming from Pa. the best thing you can do is stay warm, stretching some

My name is Tonia, current age 45 and I have been living with chronic upper back and left arm pain for over 3 years. I am currently taking lyrica and butran patch to help manage it. The cause is from over use of my left side since I was 3 as I was hit by a car on my right side. My doctors have called it chronic myofascial pain. I have tried many different treatments such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, laser therapy, physio, injections, etc. The pain never goes away. Some days worse then others. Any suggestions???

@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/

How can we tell whether we have stressed fascias or not ? Would the MFR Therapy hurt us if we don't have it? Peggy

Hi Peggy, @pfbacon As a visual person, I try to find something visual that represents what I am feeling. You may want to watch this youtube video of "Strolling under the skin"

Your MFR therapist can have you feel the restrictions. Then you will be able to guide your therapist to those areas that need some immediate help.

Most of the time, my therapist will know where she needs to start just by watching me walk. I also tend to get my spine out of alignment which can result in pain and obvious physical stress.

Here's how to do it....lie flat on the floor and relax your body. Put your hands on either side of your hip bones to see if they are even. If not, you can use a 4-inch ball to prop up the side that needs some leveling support. Give it a try and let me know what happened. May you be free of suffering. Chris

Thank you for your reply. The pain just developed 3 years ago after I was doing a major spring cleaning using my left arm. Since my accident I over developed my left side from over use, therefore have more strength and muscle in my left, and my left side is actually bigger then my right. I am taking lyrica and cymbalta and wear a butran patch which has a small amount of morphine in it. My pain never goes away but I do find the more I can keep up with my stretches given to me by a Pilates instructor that it helps lesson the pain. She also has helped me with my posture as my left shoulder really dropped from over use. I haven’t tried MFR, I’m not sure if we have that here in Canada. I would like to know more about it. I appreciate your time.

Thanks
Tonia

Hi.
I too have been on a long journey of finding pain relief after several failed back surgeries. MFR therapy that I went through at Therapy in the Rocks in Sedona Az has really made my life so much better. I’ve been doing once a week MFR therapy , which helped open the door as it was the only treatment that helped with my spine, neurological issues, physical activities etc. But I really needed intensive therapy as once a week was not cutting it.
It’s a 2-3 Week intensive therapy program where you have 2-3 treatments per day!! Which has made a dramatic improvement in my quality of life. It’s no cake walk but you can start to feel and see the changes within the first 3-4 days. It’s not cheap but I would recommend it to all who have tried everything under the sun. If not able to go to the John Barnes facilitates , then I’d look for a PT that specializes in MFR.
GOOD LUCK

Hi I'm Nicky, 54yrs old, mother of three grown children. I'm an RN working in a local hospital. I've been having chronic pelvic pain on and off for years intermittently.... Was misdiagnosed a couple times but hopefully next week will bring me some answers and some relief!