Has anyone also tried Myofascial Therapy for chronic pain for back?

So sorry for what has been extremely painful for you…MFT can help, no question…but I believe it’s just part of dealing with back pain, so i get focused PT, do daily stretches, take as many walks as possible…do my chores, etc. in shorter spurts….heat helps me, too… I have to use Tylenol due to other conditions…if possible, try to get some respite help taking care of your mother, as a few breaks relieve the pressure—there are organizations that may help you with that….i have come to expect that i may not get total relief, but can reduce pain enough to go about my life by being proactive .wishing you better days !

I have but it didn't do anything for my pain.

One condition I have is fibromyalgia diagnosed 6 years ago. I found a book on fibro by a woman doctor that speaks of Myofascial Release Therapy. If performed by a doctor ( M.D that is also a D.O -Doctor of Osteopathy) it should be covered by medical insurance and Medicare. Look for one that does this therapy. In my book she cautions that many physical therapists say they know how to treat people with fibro, but really don't, that many practitioners substitute "deep tissue massage" for MRT and that many athletic trainers teach foam roller techniques and call it MRT. The truth being that both of these are NOT helpful in fibro. There is a lot of misinformation about this.
I speak from the fibro perspective. I did find an M.D., D.O. in my area and will start with him in January...you may have to go more often at first and then have maintenance appointments - for instance like a chiropractor as far as timing of visits.
The book I have is The Fibro Manual by Ginerva Liptan M.D. who herself has fibro. Her book is written for patients as well as doctors ( doctors ,rheumatologists , at least 38% don't like treating fibro patients, don't really read up on the condition and stick to a script that is not one size fits all..... I speak of most -not all). There is much info online about MRT, D.O.s and there are many articles online with AFSA -American Fibromyalgia Syndrome Association and they give you the latest research when they have it...I just found a great article about MTP - myofascial trigger points and it blew my mind in general, but especially in relation to having the wrong type of info and or therapy if you don't know this information....

We call it MFR— myofascial release therapy.. yes, I did it for a couple years. It is absolutely amazing but you have to have a great MFR therapist. I tried three before I found the guy that was right for me. I had a hour long session. Some people have 30 minutes and some people have an hour and a half. When I first started it, I went twice a week by the time I was ready to fly I was going twice a month. It keeps my body in shape because at 69 years old with the abuse, I put my body through your body conforms to your bad habits, and it needs some really strong intervention to break those habits and then you have to try to follow it up with establishing good habits and practices.
Yes, stress makes one’s body negatively react. I suggest that you get outdoors and at least take some walks to relieve the stress and figure out how to manage a toxic person in your life. Having had them in mind I know that they can be debilitating and they can cause other things like anxiety to creep in high blood pressure and even your blood sugar to go up.
I can’t say enough good things about MFR! It’s like a really painful massage, but it puts my body back into alignment and makes my life so much better until I made the necessary arrangements on my own so that it wasn’t necessary all the time. We can rebuild our bodies somewhat, even in the face of degeneration and degenerative diseases. Good luck.

@loriesco Your comments are always so insightful and helpful.

@orest yes, my DO/MD uses MFT among other treatments, to good effect…i don’t have fibromyalgia, but do have pesky back /neck issues very much helped by this type of doc…regular MDs defer to them since they themselves usually just prescribe painkillers. Wishing all with fibro to have better days.

@loriesco, I can find practitioners here. I'd like the name of your therapist (in LA I'm hoping or San Diego) if you are comfortable exposing them here.

Myofascial therapy is something I have had. It does help, but you have to go regularly and find someone who understands that you need the lightest touch possible. Someone who doesn’t have all your needs could have it done more intensely to work out the fascia and people often attack it that way. So just make sure that the person does it very, very very lightly. But it is something you need to do on a regular basis, not for two or three times to get a good effect. Another type would be cranial sacral therapy. My doctor prescribed it, and it was covered by insurance because it was done by a physical therapist. But outside of physical therapy and just seen someone who does cranial sacral it may cost money. I urge you to think about yourself first. We are taught to honor our mother and father, even if they weren’t motherly or fatherly towards us. If you have siblings who can help ask them to. And if they don’t have the time, ask them for money to provide house cleaning or other services to help your mother. Share the burden if you have siblings. Hang in there.

I’ve been doing it for about 3 months every other week with great results. But I also get a body massage in between MFR. Exercise is also an important part of my back care regime.