The Doctor was Wrong

NYU Pain Management Center

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:58:26 +0000

NYU Looks to have a good pain management center and does list restoration of function. This is important because many pain centers are focused on MANAGING pain. that means using drugs or therapy to stop hurting, but not to CURE the problem. NYU should be good, and the list pediatric pain management. However, upon calling them, they referred us to another location which escapes me now. And their site lists quite a few drug procedures for pediatric. So I’m not so sure they are the best. We looked there because Dr. Norman Marcus, one of the leading researchers in Myofascial Pain is attached to NYU. See more about Dr. Norman Marcus in several related entries. I’ll even add him as a tag he comes up that much.

Finding Trigger Points

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:48:30 +0000

When you are looking for trigger points you have to start at the point where there is pain.

NOTE: this may not be the spot with the trigger points, it could be the area of referred pain from a trigger point somewhere else.

Starting at that point, try to feel the muscles and the way they run. So this lightly. Most trigger points are in the outer layers of muscle. You are looking for something that feels like a bone. if you are in a pain area, try to follow the muscle up or down to find a lump. In the gluteous maximus (butt muscles) they seem to be close to the attachment point to the bone, but they will run out very far. Trapezius (shoulder blade) trigger points can be around the edge of the shoulder blade but will refer pain to the neck, forhead, eyes, and jaw. This one is commonly misdiagnosed at tension headache or pinched nerve. Here is one place for a trigger point for various areas. Trigger Point Chart.

Found some Pediatric help at Beth Israel

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:34:58 +0000

We are looking for somewhere to take our daughter. Finding Pediatric care for Myofascial pain is almost impossible. They have a specific treatment program for Myofascial Pain They give some great descriptions of the different types of Trigger Points. I quote:

How to Diagnose and Treat Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Recognition of this syndrome is difficult and requires the physician to have a precise understanding of the body’s anatomy. Trigger points can be identified by pain produced upon digital palpation (applying pressure with one to three fingers and the thumb). In diagnosing myofascial pain syndrome, four types of trigger points can be distinguished:

active trigger point – an area of exquisite tenderness that is usually located in a skeletal muscle and is associated with local or regional pain;

latent trigger point – a dormant area that can potentially behave like an active trigger point;

secondary trigger point – a hyperirritable spot in a muscle that becomes active as a result of a trigger point and muscular overload in another muscle;

satellite myofascial point – a hyperirritable spot in a muscle that becomes active because the muscle is located within the region of another trigger point.

It is very true, the trigger points need to be felt very gently. Most doctors try to feel for organs and end up pushing right through a trigger point not even noticing it. See the blog entry on finding trigger points.

Misdiagnosis is a Common Occurence

admin — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 20:09:10 +0000

This site is dedicated to providing information on Myofascial Pain Disorder, Trigger Points, and other symptoms related to chronic pain. There are a number of things that will cause trigger points and myofascial pain, but a sudden trauma is the typical. A car accident or a fall can trigger it. In most people, there is a sudden tightening of the muscles, the body is bruised from the contraction and/or impact, but it heals. In other people, and the relationship is not fully understood, the muscles remain tightened. If the muscles are not treated with massage and therapy right after the trauma, the tightness can set in causing trigger points. Myofascial Pain Disorder(MPD) occurs because the fascia or the membrane layer over the muscles, tightens up and holds the muscle in a compressed state. Diagnosed properly and treated soon enough, the fascia can be eased out and stretched back to its proper state. Misdiagnosis can lead to years of recovery and frequently to a lifetime disability.