What is it?

Persistent muscle pain that is caused by fascial tightening around your muscles, limiting your mobility, causing painful “knots.”  Fascia is thin connective tissue that is around every organ. It provides structure, but when stressed, it tightens up. This can lead to chronic pain. Fascia is designed to stretch as you move. If it tightens around the muscle, it limits mobility and becomes painful.

How does it occur?

A lifestyle of limited physical activity, such as prolonged computer use, repetitive movement that overworks on part of the body, such as checking groceries with the same arm daily, and trauma - surgery or injury.

How is it diagnosed:

Fascial pain is often determined by history and physical exam. MRIs and CAT scans can not image fascia. The fascia may be painful when touched, but improve with prolonged pressure (such as massage). Sometimes MRIs are used to rule out nerve injuries/disc problems or other sources of pain.

How is it treated:

Myofasical release or massage therapy is very helpful to help break up scar tissue within the fascia and help lay down new healthy tissue. Trigger point injections can help bring blood flow to the taught fascia. These are often done with lidocaine to anesthetize taught fascia and muscles.  Physical therapy is helpful as well. Stretching regularly is important to maintain elasticity in the fascia. Posture is important as well. Slumping or walking in an altered way to compensate for an injury can cause fascia to tighten. It is often a combination of multiple modalities of treatment that help fascia pain.

Medications:

Antiinflammatories, lidocaine patches, topical medications such as FourPainRx, biofreeze or salonpas, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants such as gabapentin or pregabalin, and tricyclic antidepressants can help pain as well.

Surgery:

Surgery is not indicated for myofasical pain syndrome.