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Myofasciitis
Marc
Darrow, M.D.
Myofasciitis
is a general term used to describe pain or other dysfunctions in the
network of muscles, tendons, and ligaments and other soft
connective tissue that holds our bodies together.
Myofascial pain may start
abruptly or gradually. Abrupt onset is usually the result of trauma to
the muscle, such as a sudden overload or over-extension, while a gradual
onset is due to chronic overload, virus, or other disease, or
psychogenic stress.
Although
an understanding of the various symptoms of pain, such as whether it
occurs at rest or during activity, what muscles it is related to,
whether it is primary or
referred, and countless other factors, the
doctor can isolate the problem and treat it with trigger point therapy
or with
Prolotherapy.
Prolotherapy
and
trigger point therapy are essentially the same technique. Both
Prolotherapy and trigger point injections can reduce or eliminate pain
and result in the growth of new cells to support weakened ligaments and
tendons.
Although
generally safe and effective, there are cases where trigger point
injection therapy just will not do the trick. Some of the more common
reasons include cases involving stress due to psychological factors,
chronic infection, skeletal asymmetry, nutritional deficiencies,
metabolic problems, allergy, or disease. In many cases involving
skeletal misalignment, or myofascial pain
Prolotherapy may offer the
only effective cure.
"Trigger Points" and "Tender Points"
A
normal healthy body contains an intricate framework of bones and
cartilage supported in perfect harmony by a network of semi-elastic
tissues, mainly tendons and ligaments. Dysfunction in these tissues
causes a wide variety of problems.
When
the tendons or ligaments, which anchor the structure, are weakened or
damaged, the stress and friction created by the misalignment of joints
results in chronic pain. Similar stresses can be caused by the action of
dysfunctional muscles, tendons, or ligaments containing problem areas
known as "trigger points" or "tender points"-hyperirritable, painful soft tissue areas. Normal healthy soft tissue
does not contain trigger or tender points.
The
source of muscle pain is called the active trigger point. In some cases,
the pain occurs directly in the active trigger point that caused it.
This is called a primary trigger point. Pain can also manifest in
distant areas away from the active trigger point. Such pain is called
referred pain. Cases of referred pain may involve either secondary or
satellite trigger points.
A
secondary trigger point is a hyperirritable spot in a muscle or fascia
that became active because the muscle (in which it manifests) has an
antagonistic or a synergistic relationship with the muscle actually
triggering the pain. That is, it works with, or against, the muscle
which hosts the primary trigger point. A satellite trigger point is simply one that receives pain because it is
located in a zone of reference linked directly to the active trigger
point, an area known as the essential pain zone. There are also areas
known as spillover pain zones that receive pain signals that spill out
beyond the normal boundaries of the essential pain zone where it
originates.
Besides
the pain caused by active
trigger points, there are symptoms other than
pain that are caused by latent trigger points. Some common latent
symptoms include weakness, stiffness or restriction of movement. Both
active and latent trigger points cause dysfunction--but only active ones
cause pain.
Related Articles
Acupuncture, Trigger Points & Prolotherapy: Similarities and Differences
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