Holistic Solutions for Myofascial Pain: Relieve Muscle Soreness, Stiffness, and Trigger Points
If you experience persistent muscle soreness, stiffness, or deep aching in a specific area of your body, often accompanied by sensitive “trigger points” that hurt when pressed, you could have myofascial pain.
Myofascial pain can be addressed holistically through a combination of trigger point injections, acupuncture, massage, magnesium baths, physical therapy, therapeutic stretching, thoughtful movement, and more.
It’s normal to have myofascial pain
If you do things like lift weights, play with grandchildren, or get over-zealous with yardwork on the weekends, then chances are you are familiar with the feeling of spasm.
These trigger points can refer pain to other parts of the body, and the discomfort may worsen with activity, mental/emotional stress, or certain movements like bending over or reaching for objects. For example, it’s not uncommon to have a trigger point in your neck muscle that radiates into your head or into your lower back. This happens because all of our myofascial planes are connected in a network of signaling.
Myofascial pain can sometimes feel achey, but it can also feel like a deep burn or even have an electric quality to it. Sometimes people think they have a pinched nerve or more serious structural issue, when really what they are feeling are trigger points.
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are areas of muscle “knots” or spasms in the body that feel sensitive to the touch, often resulting after intense physical exercise, injuries, or chronic overuse. You know this feeling as the “hurts so good” (or just hurts!) when someone gives you a massage.
A trigger point in a muscle can cause strain within the muscle and in other related parts of the body through fascial connective tissue, leading to tightness and disruptions in our energy flow.
What is a trigger point injection?
Dr. Katie uses a technique similar to acupuncture to relieve these areas of muscle spasm with a needle technique called a trigger point injection (TrP). A small amount of lidocaine, a local anesthetic, is injected into the sore muscle, allowing the muscle contraction to ease and the body’s natural healing to take over.
What to expect during a trigger point appointment
Dr. Katie begins all visits for acupuncture or myofascial release with a new patient consultation, as often there are other components of your health that contribute to pain that need to be addressed. This is a part of taking care of the “whole you” as you are more than just your pain.
We recommend you arrive at your appointment with a little nourishment and hydration in your belly, and an empty bladder. Trigger point and acupuncture treatments often encourage your body’s “rest + digest” relaxation response which makes more urine, makes you hungry, or makes your body temperature decrease.
TrP treatments are typically administered while you either sit upright or lie down in a comfortable treatment room. Soft music can be requested to increase your comfort.
After treatment, we recommend you resume normal life carefully. You may feel a little tired, or a little more energized for the remainder of the day. We encourage you to choose mindful, gentle movement after sessions and not intense workouts. Generally, patients report feeling mild soreness from TrP treatment for about a day before the pain eases considerably.
It may also be helpful to soak your sore muscles in a warm bath with epsom (magnesium) salts for about 10 or 15 minutes the evening after a trigger point session. Magnesium is a natural relaxer to myofascial tissue, and absorption through the skin allows the muscles to get the magnesium very quickly.
What else can I do for myofascial pain?
Myofascial pain can be addressed holistically through a combination of treatments. We’ve already discussed trigger points, but other therapies can be helpful too.
Acupuncture: Acupuncture increases blood flow, reduces inflammation, and produces helpful neurotransmitters and endorphins using gentle needle techniques and myofascial trigger point release, with the goal of utilizing your body’s natural pain and stress relievers. It is more gentle than a trigger point injection and often feels as relaxing as a massage or facial.
Massage: Massage releases unnecessary tension, slows down your nervous system, allows you to breathe deeper, and live with more freedom and ease using a variety of pressure and body work techniques to manipulate muscles and other soft tissues in the body.
Magnesium baths: Epsom salt is readily available at local pharmacies and larger stores like Target. It’s an add to a warm bath. We recommend about 1 to 2 cups per tub of water. This allows magnesium - a natural relaxer to muscles and the nervous system - to be absorbed through the skin over the course of 10 to 15 minutes.
Physical therapy: PT focuses on optimal mobility + function using the principles of alignment, flexibility, and strength to enhance recovery from injury, pursue athletic excellence, and relieve pain. In my opinion, physical therapy is some of the best money spent on keeping yourself spry.
Therapeutic stretching: Expert body workers like physical therapists, massage therapists, or personal trainers can ease you into supported positions to gently stretch tight muscles and enhance mobility. Best done with the muscles are warm, like after a workout or massage.
Thoughtful movement: Moving your muscles with gentle exercise is one of the best tonics for myofascial pain. If you wake up sore, one of the best things you can do is go for a walk, as walking is a gentle engagement of all of our core, back and lower body muscles.
Foam rolling and MELT Method: the MELT method uses a forgiving, soft foam roller (it’s not rock hard or punishing like other rollers) and gentle rolling, oscillating movements to help you gently release myofascial tightness on your own. You can attend a class, like at Beyond Fitness, or learn the techniques from online videos. Foam rolling helps increase the glide between the muscles and the surrounding fascia so that tissues face less resistance and friction. Pro tip: keep your foam roller near your TV so that you’re invited to do a few minutes every day, rather than wait until you’re in pain and need to carve out 20-30 minutes.
It’s time to address your pain in a holistic way. We look forward to seeing you soon!
