Myofascial Trigger Points and Chronic Pain

This blog is packed full of resources for understanding the pain and treatment of chronic myofascial pain and the knotted up pieces of muscle fiber in a taut band of muscle that causes it. 

Understanding myofascial trigger points and their role in sustaining chronic myofascial pain can be confusing at first; it was for me. But, I was very fortunate to have a mentor, Devin Starlanyl (author of several books on fibromyalgia and myofascial pain, her latest, Healing Through Trigger Point Therapy with John Starkey). Unbeknownst to many, unless you read the forward to our book, Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain…,  she spent many tiring days and nights helping me. My gratitude to her goes far beyond words. All she ever asked in return was that I pay it forward, and that is exactly what I am trying to do.

Be sure to read all the articles and resources provided here. I attended many seminars during my days as healthcare educator. I became frustrated if I didn’t grasp the information. What I found is that the same material presented in a different way was what I needed. Maybe it was the fibro or the Hashimoto’s undiagnosed, I will never know for sure, but I do know the sheer pleasure, that feeling of accomplishment when I had that “AH” “ HA” moment. 

If you are like me, you will need to take this information in slowly. Save the link to this blog, then come back. Take each article in succession until you think you have it. If you struggle to understand (as I did), please leave comments. If one person has a question, so does someone else.

As a prelude, watch my interview on the myofascial trigger points (TrPs) with Frank Gresham, certified myofascial trigger point specialist, of the Chronic Pain Center. Frank studied the work of the pioneers of myofascial medicine, Dr. JanetTravell  and Dr. David Simons.  

There has been a great deal of confusion regarding fibromyalgia tender points and myofascial trigger points. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. They should NEVER be used interchangeably. Even though there are some researchers who think tender points may have been trigger points all along, there is other evidence by researchers and educators, such as my friend Dr. Robert Bennett who knows how to assess fibromyalgia AND myofascial pain syndrome, who say they are not. Thanks to Dr. Bennett, who led the research for the Alternative Diagnostic Criteria, we know how different FM is from MPS, even though they can, and often do, co-exist in the same patient. Read all the articles on Health Central and on my website and you will have a better understanding.

• Health Central — Fibromyalgia Tender Points or Myofascial Trigger Points: Knowing the Difference for the Right Diagnosis
• Health Central — What is a Myofascial Trigger Point, and Their Relationship toPain? 
• Health Centr al —Myofascial Pain Syndrome 
• Health Central — MyofascialPain Treatment 

(Signature line appended, May 2018)

In healing,

Celeste Cooper, RN / Author, Freelancer, Advocate

Think adversity?-See opportunity!

http://www.CelesteCooper.com

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Janet Travell, MD: Pioneer of Myofascial Medicine

"The pioneer in the study of chronic myofascial pain as we know it today is Dr. Janet Travell, later joined by Dr. David Simons. Travell discovered as early as 1940 that by applying pressure to a trigger point, she could establish and predict referred pain patterns. After successfully treating President John F. Kennedy for residual effects from bouts with myofascial pain and longstanding back problems, she was the first woman and first non-military doctor to be appointed to the post of White House physician. Dr. Travell is considered to be an expert authority, and her work and dedication continue to be internationally referenced.

Thanks to [Dr. Travell and Dr. Simons] dedication to scientific study and education, we now know that specific triggerpoints cause specific pain patterns and symptoms." (Cooper and Miller, 2010) 

One only has to visit Dr. Travell’s family tribute to understand the huge impact she had as White House physician to President John F. Kennedy. I hope you will take a moment to honor her by visiting the family’s memorial website. It is a testament to her work, her dedication, and to her life.

Dr. Janet Travell (1901 – 1997) was not only the personal  physician to President Kennedy, but she was also an Associate Clinical Professor at the George Washington University and made many other contributions to medicine. A collection of her work consists of manuscripts, reports, correspondence, research data, articles, newspaper clippings, photographs, and a variety of material from Dr. Travell's service in the White House. It is said to include 104 boxes, or 44.5 linear feet of materials. The collection was donated to the Gelman Library University Archives in 1998 by her daughters with the stipulation that it can only be used to further the research and study of myofascial medicine. (Accessed,1-24-2015).  Her work will live on.

She made a huge impact on our knowledge of myofascial pain syndrome, its perpetuators to pain, and the role of the myofascial trigger point not only in pain, but also as a contributing factor to many other autonomic, circulatory, and nerve-related symptoms. One might say she was also the founder of ergonomics because she understood, studied, and educated others about the effects of furniture, clothing, and posture on the body. She studied relentlessly to identify and map out the pain and symptom referral patterns associated with the location of each specific myofascial trigger point. 

She and Dr. David Simons and published the first medical textbooks on myofascial medicine.

Few in medicine have made such an impact and she and Dr. David Simons has made. Both were children of physicians.