This book is about empowerment for chronic pain patients and care providers alike. Every chronic pain condition has a treatable myofascial trigger point component, including fibromyalgia. Many of the localized symptoms now considered as fibromyalgia are actually due to trigger points. The central sensitization of fibromyalgia amplifies symptoms that trigger points cause, and this book teaches care providers and patients how to identify and treat those causes. Chronic myofascial pain due to trigger points can be body-wide, and can cause or maintain fibromyalgia central sensitization. Trigger points can cause and/or maintain or contribute to many types of pain and dysfunction, including numbness and tingling, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, osteoarthritis, cognitive dysfunctions and disorientation, impotence, incontinence, loss of voice, pelvic pain, muscle weakness, menstrual pain, TMJ dysfunction, shortness of breath, and many symptoms attributed to old age or "atypical" or psychological sources. Trigger point therapy has been around for decades, but only recently have trigger points been imaged at the Mayo Clinic and National Institutes of Health. Their ubiquity and importance is only now being recognized. Devin Starlanyl is a medically trained chronic myofascial pain and fibromyalgia researcher and educator, as well as a patient with both of these conditions. She has provided chronic pain education and support to thousands of patients and care providers around the world for decades. John Sharkey is a physiologist with more than twenty-seven years of anatomy experience, and the director of a myofascial pain facility. Together they have written a comprehensive reference to trigger point treatment to help patients with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and many other conditions. This guide will be useful for all types of doctors, nurses, therapists, bodyworkers, and lay people, facilitating communication between care providers and patients and empowering patients who now struggle with all kinds of misunderstood and unexplained symptoms. Part 1 explains what trigger points are and how they generate symptoms, refer pain and other symptoms to other parts of the body, and create a downward spiral of dysfunction. The authors look at the interconnection between fibromyalgia and myofascial trigger points and their possible causes and symptoms; identify stressors that perpetuate trigger points such as poor posture, poor breathing habits, nutritional inadequacies, lack of sleep, and environmental and psychological factors; and provide a list of over one hundred pain symptoms and their most common corresponding trigger point sources. Part 2 describes the sites of trigger points and their referral patterns within each region of the body, and provides pain relief solutions for fibromyalgia and trigger point patients and others with debilitating symptoms. Pain treatment plans include both self-help remedies for the patient—stretching or postural exercises, self-massage techniques and prevention strategies—as well as diagnostic and treatment hints for care providers. Part 3 offers guidance for both patients and care providers in history taking, examination, and palpation skills, as well as treatment options. It offers a vision for the future that includes early assessment, adequate medical training, prevention of fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, changes to chronic pain management and possible solutions to the health care crisis, and a healthier version of our middle age and golden years, asserting that patients have a vital role to play in the management of their own health.

This book covers a range of topics, from the cause and identity of pain, to pain relief management. Starting from the mechanism of pain, it continues to pain management techniques such as nerve blocks, drugs (pain killers), noninvasive manipulations psychological techniques and electric management, before describing the management of various painful conditions such as headaches, back pain, extremities pain, post-herpetic pain or complex regional pain syndrome. It also provides the format of case reports which can be used to explain management options. A novel feature of the book is that it provides additional insights into how clinicians involve patients in treating their own pain through guided self-assessment and self-management. Recent studies have revealed that pain is not only a biological alarm that warns of disease, but can also be the disease itself, or the catalyst of a vicious circle of pain and disease. Providing rapid pain relief is often effective in sparking the rapid recovery from various diseases. This book offers the perfect guide for all clinicians, not only those working at pain clinics but all those who have to treat patients who are in pain.

Discover new findings on musculoskeletal pain from experts around the world! This comprehensive book gives you new insights into musculoskeletal disorders which are among the major sources of chronic pain and disability. Although much remains to be explored in the muscle pain domain, the results of the many studies conducted have undoubtedly led to an improvement in diagnostic tools and knowledge about pathophysiological mechanisms of the various syndromes. Muscle Pain, Myofascial Pain, and Fibromyalgia is a comprehensive update on the latest developments in musculoskeletal pain and a valuable point of reference for both patients and scientists in this field. Muscle Pain, Myofascial Pain, and Fibromyalgia: Recent Advances covers the developments in musculoskeletal pain research that were presented at the MYOPAIN '98 Congresses in Silvi Marina, Italy. This work explores the results of basic and applied research regarding soft-tissue pain, with a strong focus on skeletal muscle physiology and related clinical syndromes. Muscle Pain, Myofascial Pain, and Fibromyalgia offers you the widest possible range of topics in the context of muscle pain disorders as well as a variety of clinical and experimental approaches to the different aspects of the problem. This important and informative book also gives you a detailed account of the Consensus Meeting on Diagnostic Criteria of Myofascial Pain Syndromes, which was held at the end of the Congress. Some of the topics related to musculoskeletal pain that you will explore in Muscle Pain, Myofascial Pain, and Fibromyalgia include: neurogenic inflammation in muscle pain treating myofascial pain by reducing activity of trigger points and tender spots using specific drugs and physical therapy therapeutic approaches to muscle pain for patients with myoarthropathies neurochemical pathogenesis of fibromyalgia syndrome treatments for fibromyalgia syndrome, such as the use of amitriptyline (2-6) and cyclobenzaprine (7-11) findings on tests to identify myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyalgia differential diagnosis problems when chronic myalgia is not the main symptom because other infective ailments, such as Lyme disease or HIV, are prevalent and may cause myalgia to become a secondary diagnosis As a health care professional or someone who suffers from musculoskeletal pain, you will discover that the findings in Muscle Pain, Myofascial Pain, and Fibromyalgia are invaluable for your use and the continued clinical and basic research of this growing field.

This concise, but thorough text covers both the theory and current practice of fibromyalgia and myofascial pain management. It provides practical, step-by-step descriptions of both traditional and state-of-the-art approaches to trigger point injections and nerve blocks, accompanied by clear diagrams that illustrate pain patterns, muscle anatomy, patient positioning, and more. An interdisciplinary approach draws on the knowledge and expertise of authorities in the fields of rheumatology, physiatry, orthopedic surgery, psychology, endocrinology, physical therapy, dentistry, ergonomic engineering, and anesthesiology. Diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia. The metabolic and endocrine causes of muscle pain. Treatment of neck and back pain and repetitive stress injuries. Alternative and complementary approaches to treating muscle pain and chronic pain. New diagnostic and injection techniques for myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, and trigger points. Nerve block therapy for myofascial pain. Diagnosis of musculoskeletal pain in children. Facial pain management. Five brand-new chapters (See the Table of Contents.) The role of physical therapy, including electrical modalities, massage techniques, manual therapy techniques, body mechanics, and ergonomics.

Written by one of the UK's leading consultants on pain control, this authoritative, yet easily comprehensible book, delivers a high level of understanding and practical advice to the lay reader. Highly recommended. Manage your Fibromyalgia by becoming an expert patient. There really is life after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia or myofascial pain syndrome...and yours starts here. The lack of knowledge which surrounds two of the most prevalent illnesses in the world today means that they can often go undiagnosed and untreated for years, during which time both the mental and physical condition of sufferers can deteriorate considerably. With the right care, there is much that can be done to help anyone with these conditions to improve their quality of life dramatically. The first step towards that is by doing precisely what you are doing now, educating yourself. Within the covers of this book, you will find an easy-to-read and practical guide to dealing with fibromyalgia and myofascial pain. Dr Chris Jenner takes a straightforward and down-to-earth look at what these two conditions are about; how they might affect different aspects of your life; what your options are; and how you can get on with your life.

A manual for understanding, treating and living with Fibromyalgia.

Called the “invisible disease,” fibromyalgia is estimated to impact more than 10 million Americans. And yet, so much is still misunderstood about this chronic disorder. Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia is an invaluable resource for understanding fibromyalgia and its debilitating symptoms. Those living with fibromyalgia know it is an invasive disorder, one that can cause overwhelming fatigue, joint stiffness, sleep problems, migraines, digestive problems, and troubles with memory and concentration, a symptom so common it is often referred to as “fibrofog.” While it's believed that humans have suffered from fibromyalgia for hundreds, even thousands, of years, a delay in medical research means many people living with fibromyalgia are still in the dark, confused by their symptoms and what causes the painful disorder. By drawing upon decades of advanced research in studying and treating fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia combines anecdotes from real cases with expertise from Mayo Clinic’s rheumatology and chronic pain experts to provide an all-encompassing guide for understanding one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting Americans today. This book also offers reasonable, proven strategies—like worksheets to help readers craft a personalized daily plan—for managing common fibromyalgia symptoms, while serving as a comforting guide for those who may feel alone in their journey with fibromyalgia. This book breaks down what fibromyalgia is—and isn’t—in 4 separate sections: · Section 1 introduces fibromyalgia, the history and modern discoveries of fibromyalgia research, as well as common myths and misconceptions associated with the condition · Section 2 outlines the different treatment options available to those who suffer from fibromyalgia, including prescription medications, therapies, and forms of integrative medicine · Section 3 offers helpful tips for managing—and improving—chronic pain through diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management · Finally, Section 4 explains how to find guidance and support from your family, friends, and physicians to help you live a life unhindered by fibromyalgia If you’re struggling to advance past your painful fibromyalgia symptoms, get the book Publisher’s Weekly described as “the first [book] a newly diagnosed patient should consult.”