The Legs of Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain - Prohealth

• Updated on: 2019-04-05
• Read original article here

Do your fibro legs deal you fits? Door jams reach out and grab you, leaving mysterious bruises, right? We have come to dub these instances as the fibro effects. But, is there something we can do to minimize the fall out of this trait?

Symptoms  Do you feel as if you are stepping on pins and needles when getting out of bed and/or experience:

Did you know periodic limb movement associated with RLS and fibro share disruption of brain signaling? Did you know myofascial pain from the peripheral nervous system bombards the central nervous system, contributing to wind-up?

Equilibrium Restoration Many things can contribute to our leg pain, disturbed gait, and other unusual symptoms. Dysfunction of the muscles in the legs affects not only our feet, but our ankles, knees and legs as well. It contributes to hip, buttock, pelvis, and low back pain too. And, there are things we can do to restore function and help our body find balance.

The Leg Muscles in the upper leg have exceptional work to perform. For instance, the hamstring (a powerhouse muscle group) is responsible for standing and walking. It does a significant amount of 1) muscle work and 2) repetitive action. When these two things are present, so is the risk of myofascial trigger points (TrPs), which are knotted up pieces of muscle fiber in a taut band of muscle that shortens the muscle causing dysfunction and pain.

Our lower leg has eleven muscles, including the foot and ankle that work in tandem to allow for locomotion and balance. Therefore, pain in the feet and ankles may not be coming from TrPs.

In this example, you massage your feet and soak them in Epsom salts, but nothing seems to help. It could be your foot/feet are in the referral pattern of TrPs in other compensating muscles. Until all trigger points are identified and treated, your foot or ankle pain won’t go away.

Joints Our joints need equalization to operate normally, and the presence of TrPs affects joint function. For instance, TrPs in muscle fibers extending to the knee cause misalignment, making the joint function like a sprung hinge.

*Myofascial pain is not due to inflammation. If inflammation (heat, redness, and swelling) is present, it could be due to another problem that needs immediate attention.

Knowing Your Body Get to know your body—feel around. Do you notice the telltale signs of a trigger point? In average size muscles, it will feel like a pea. If you press on it, the pain and its pattern are reproduced. Remember: If you find a TrP, treat it, whether it only hurts when you press it or not.

Treatment Treatment includes avoiding perpetuating factors, managing contributing factors, and treating the TrPs with manual intervention.

Once you locate the TrP, apply about 70-80% direct pressure. Locally stretch the fibers affected to isolate the TrP and stabilize it. All trigger points need to be treated, even the ones that aren’t hurting unless you press on them. Drink plenty of water unless you have a condition that prevents it.

Massage therapy, active release therapy, and myofascial release are helpful when provided by a therapist that specializes in the myofascia. Trigger point injections along with self-treatment and guided stretches may be necessary.

About the Author: Celeste Cooper, RN, is a frequent contributor to ProHealth.  She is an advocate, writer and published author, and a person living with chronic pain. Celeste is lead author of Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain and Broken Body, Wounded Spirit, and Balancing the See Saw of Chronic Pain (a four book series). She spends her time enjoying her family and the rewards she receives from interacting with nature through her writing and photography. You can learn more about Celeste’s writing, advocacy work, helpful tips, and social network connections at CelesteCooper.com.