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Myofascial Pain Syndrome
Myofascial Pain Syndrome will vary in severity. For this reason, please take the time to read about the following information about this condition before you decide what approach to take for helping with treatment and prevention:

*Health Disclaimer
Any information given about back related conditions, treatments, and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the #1 Back Pain Site! See *Site disclaimer for more information.

Table Of Contents:

All About Myofascial Pain Syndrome & Approach Treatment
Therapies, Products, and Activities to Help Your Condition
1. Choosing the Correct Mattress for Better Back Support
2. Finding the Right Chair or Seat Insert Cushion
3 Soft Back Braces
4. Traction Devices
5. Electric Stimulation Devices
6. Ultrasound
7. Ice packs
8. Hot Packs
9. Whirlpool and Jacuzzi Water Therapy
10. Mechanical Massage Devices
11. Topical Analgesics for Pain Relief
12. Vitamin, Mineral and Herb Supplementation
13. Nutritional Aid in the Healing Process
14. Medications
15. Exercises and Stretches for Your Back Condition
16. Yoga and Meditation to Relax the Back
17. Correct Shoes for Avoiding Back Pain
18. When to Use a Heel Lift or Orthotic Shoe Insert
Deciding on the Best Health Care for you
1. Chiropractic
2. Massage Therapy
3. Acupuncture
4. Physical Therapy
5. Medical Practitioners

All About Myofascial Pain Syndrome & Approach to treatment
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When the muscles of the back become injured from prolonged irritation, they can develop a reactive inflammation called myofascitis. Myofascial pain syndrome refers to a condition where the myofascitis occurs on a constant basis and becomes chronic over a long period of time.

Muscles of the back may be injured initially through traumatic tearing of the fibers, repetitive strain, and through pre-existing conditions which cause the muscles to be weakened and inflamed without provocation. Fibromyalgia is one such condition in which multiple muscles of the body are in a constant irritated state, and demonstrate myofascial pain syndrome. While traumatic injuries are easily identified, repetitive strains can be more difficult to ascertain. These strains can begin with a repetitive movement where the muscles are being irritated over a long period of time until they become vulnerable to tearing from a simple change in the position of the back. For example, a person who has improper posture at a computer on a regular basis, or a golfer who plays frequently with bad form may have their muscles tighten over time and form micro-tearing and inflammation as a result. Approximately 5 days after an injury, scar tissue will then form to act like glue to bond the tissue back together. Scar tissue will continue to form past six weeks in some cases and as long as a year in severe back strains. In cases where the repetitive irritation is not halted, or if the area does not heal properly and the scar tissue does not break down, myofascial irritation will persist.

The initial approach to treating myofascial pain syndrome is to support and protect the muscles, help them to loosen up and lessen the pain and minimize any inflammation. Due to the stiffness which accompanies scar tissue, it will be important to perform procedures which help break down the scaring in the muscle, so as to let the muscle regain its normal flexibility and lessen the chance of further injury. While exercise is appropriate for breaking down scar tissue once the area has healed, it may further irritate the area during the initial stages of a re-irritated myofascial pain syndrome. Therefore, other methods such as ultrasound, massage, and chiropractic adjustments may be safely used to accomplish this early on in the injury. The listed Therapies, Products and Activities section will give more information on how to help your condition, however, as each Myofascial Pain Syndrome condition is different, always consult your doctor to determine what treatment is right for your particular situation.

Therapies, Products, and Activities to Help Your Condition:

Choosing the Correct Mattress
A good mattress will protect the back for the many hours that you are in bed. A mattress that properly supports the body will also be a very important element in helping relieve stress on the muscles and joints of the back. The most important information needed for finding a correct mattress to support the back involves knowing what position you sleep in. The menu below will help you to search for a mattress that is right for you.

Choose a sleeping position:

Back Side Stomach All Positions

Finding the Right Chair or Seat Insert Cushion
Whether you sit for minutes or hours, you can’t underestimate the value of proper posture while sitting. It has been demonstrated that at times there can be as much as six times the amount of stress on your back when you sit than while lying down. Fortunately you can lower the amount of stress placed on the spine with proper back support. To accomplish this, first you must decide whether the chair you use presently is adequate for your needs. A good chair will be able to provide your lower back with proper lumbar pressure. This pressure will keep the curve of the spine in this area supported in the normal position. When a proper lumbar support is not provided with your chair, an insert lumbar cushion can accomplish this. The size of the cushion is very important, as too much lumbar support can compress and irritate the spine. A good working ergonomic type of chair can be adjusted to allow tilting and height control of the seat and chair back. Here are some tips for adjusting your chair properly: Adjust the height of the chair to allow your feet to rest comfortably on the floor. Adjusting the tilt angle of the seat will change the position of your pelvis, thereby shifting the back towards or away from the seat back. Tilting the front of the seat downward will bring your lower back into extension and thus increase the lower lumbar curve. Tilting the front of the seat upward will bring your lower back into flexion and thus decrease your lumbar curve. Combine the seat angle tilt with the seat back tilt for optimal support of the back. If the seat back height can be adjusted, make sure the small of your back fits with the part of the seat back which curves outward to support the lower back. If these adjustments still do not support the spine properly, you will definitely need a lumbar insert cushion or more ergonomically correct chair. Insert cushions will need to have height adjustability to fit correctly. This is usually achieved with a strap that allows you to set the height of the cushion to the thickest part against the small of your back. Each person’s spine curves differently, so another important feature that some back support cushions provide is the ability to adjust the size of the lumbar thickness to customize the fit.