Myofacial Pain Syndrome
Sensitive areas of tight muscle fibers can form in your muscles after injuries or overuse. These sensitive areas are called trigger points. A trigger point in a muscle can cause strain and pain throughout the muscle. When this pain persists and worsens, doctors call it myofascial pain syndrome.
Several possible mechanisms can lead to the development of myofascial trigger points, including low-level muscle contractions, muscle contractures, direct trauma, muscle overload, postural stress, unaccustomed eccentric contractions, eccentric contractions in unconditioned muscle, and maximal or submaximal concentric ….Cervical myofascial pain is thought to occur following either overuse of or trauma to the muscles that support the shoulders and neck. It can also occur as a reaction to an underlying spinal pathology such as facet joint arthropathy or an annular tear in one of the cervical discs.
It is important to distinguish between myofascial pain and neuropathic pain. While myofascial pain originates at the muscle, neuropathic pain results from an injury to or malfunction of the peripheral or central nervous system.
The pain can be made worse with activity or stress. In addition to the local or regional pain associated with myofascial pain syndrome, people with the disorder also can suffer from depression, fatigue and behavioral disturbances.
Myofascial pain syndrome is diagnosed by your doctor based on a medical history, physical examination, and any diagnostic tests that may be required. There is no specific test to diagnose myofascial pain syndrome, but your doctor may order an MRI or CT scan to help rule out other causes of your symptoms.
The muscle pain present in both fibromyalgia (FM) and myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a reason why these two conditions are sometimes mistaken for one another or erroneously lumped together as one condition.
We can fix the problem at home by exercises, including weight-bearing exercises (to strengthen muscles), stretching exercises (to stretch muscles) and aerobic exercises (to get more oxygen into the muscles). Over-the-counter pain relievers (such as acetaminophen) or NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen or naproxen).