A female physiotherapist giving diathermy treatment on the patient's back.
Muscle tension happens when the muscles stay contracted after working, sports, exercise, and stress, presenting with stiffness and achiness that progresses to chronic myofascial pain. Myofascial is used to describe the connective tissues throughout the body. Myo refers to the muscles, and fascia refers to the body tissues. Myofascial pain syndrome describes muscle pain in various forms. Most individuals have experienced chronic muscle tension in muscle pain or tension headaches. Myofascial pain can vary, ranging from mild to severe. Chiropractic can provide treatment and post-prevention plans to eliminate the pain and strengthen the body.
Myofascial pain syndrome is a complex condition that could be repetitive stress injuries on the muscles or nervous system malfunction and is often characterized by symptoms like:
Each symptom is not a sign of the condition, but it could be myofascial pain syndrome when combined and does not resolve with some time. This chronic pain disorder is associated with referred pain that appears in one part of the body but the root cause in another region.
Chiropractic medicine will get to the root of the problem with a thorough diagnosis. This will be done through physical examination, medical history, and symptom review. The chiropractor will perform a detailed exam of the affected muscles, including a range of motion test, strength test, and palpations of suspected trigger points to see how the muscles respond, twitch, and/or cause pain in a specific pattern or region. Sometimes blood tests are ordered to look for other causes, like vitamin D deficiency or hypothyroidism. Chiropractic can combine treatment therapies that include:
Chiropractic physicians work on the whole body and not just the hurting areas. Chiropractors are trained to incorporate treatment with primary care and specialists. Patients receive education in exercise programs, corrective exercises, nutritional recommendations, and health coaching.
American Chronic Pain Association. Resource Guide to Chronic Pain Management. (https://www.theacpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ACPA_Resource_Guide_2018-Final_Feb.pdf) Accessed 4/17/2019.
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