Was told my fibro is actually myofascial pain?

Yes. I was diagnosed with Myofascial pain by a Physiatrist 15 yrs ago. However, and this is key, he told me that this and Fibro are virtually interchangeable. As the time went on I have all the symptoms, all the " tender points" test ect. The one thing that is different for me is my intense constant pain affects my upper shoulders, back and neck to head. However, how many here have pain all over without that one specific, most painful area?
No matter your diagnosis it's most important to walk your path to a new understanding of living fully.
Hope this helps
Blessings

Well, a chiropractor is not necessarily 'medically' trained, and is not (usually) qualified to make medical diagnoses. Others might disagree with this--but to me, the training is far different and less specialized. A chiro can have an opinion about something, but this might or might not be an informed opinion.

An allopath is different, and should might have medial training. But, you do not mention what kind, so it is not clear what specialty this doctor practices. This does matter, because an oncologist's view of fibro will be different than a rheumatologist. An allopath is a general term as opposed to homeopath.

That being said, myofascial is very similar to fibro,and can be the same thing.

Remember-- not every symptom will be present from the list. Multiple symptoms will likely be present, but not every one. Correct diagnosis can take time--a diagnosis is really nothing more than an educated guess.

Hope you find some relief.

Well, from what I remember, I didnt match even half the points of pain he pushed on. Even when off the gabapentin, my pain was in my toes, ankles, shins, knees, hips, forearms, hands, fingers, shoulders. And it was just there, nothing to do with pressing anywhere.

He said Fibro's are usually tired, and feel like they've been run over by a truck when they wake up. I'm neither. He also said they often dont get enough sleep. I get enough, it's just hard to fall asleep, always has been (early).

I have some muscle pain in my shoulders and neck, which have always been tight, or 'angry' as my chiro has said.

And from reading descriptions of both, they seem quite different, treatments are different, and causes are different.

The difference between the two is fibro has trigger points and CHronic myofacscial pain has trigger points however it is referred pain. So your doctor will touch a trigger point in yor arm and the pain is in shoulder. I also believe Chronic myofacial pain is in your upper body only. I have been diagnosed with both conditions plus TMJ.
IT IS SO CONFUSING
KIMMY

See I don't have that at all.
In reading on Myof, there are trigger points there too, that are then referred to other places. I dont really have trigger points.
I guess I'm a freaky anomaly.

I am sure i have both, but we can all have varying symptoms ,so as long as you get good care.. It almost does not matter which is which..

.glad you are getting some good care..try to take good care of yourself and figure out what works for you!

Lj

phixxgirl
If you truly believe you have something different from either one please continue to look for answers that you need.
I do not say this with any meaning other than each one of us has our path :)
I hope you find the answers you need soon

LOL.

I get it, Not Creative. I have done a bit of reading and thinking about natural medicine, especially that within the Eastern tradition. I think there can be benefits, but am highly suspicious of anything that is called easy and natural, or "can cure multiple illnesses," or"what doctors don't know!" People want to believe in something controllable, and a 'natural'medicine is well within their parameters of comfort.

That being said, I do think there can be some benefit. For instance, the times I have done acupuncture I have felt better. I wish I could afford it more often. When I eat less processed foods, I feel better. I have taken different supplements at different times, with little-to-no effect. Only one has been in my medication rotation for years now,and that is magnesium. I can tell when I skip it. I am active. I dabble in aromatherapy because I like it, and I grow my own herbs, so it's fun.

People do need to follow their own paths, and find their own ways to manage with the condition. Who am I to do anything else than say, "This helped me," and set down my own non-scientific observations of my own process.

I would also add that our world AND our bodies/minds are very different now than they were 1000,2000, a gazillion years ago. Nothing is the same now as it was back whenever the natural way is was first observed. I think that for contemporary health issues,a medical solution which is evidence-based, tested, studied,and applied by a physician is going to be the best shot at being able to manage them effectively. BUT people will do what they believe is right.

I,like you,prefer to admit my bias.

Our modern world has pollution, too many people, too much temperature change. Our eating and resting and being are vastly different--artificial light? processed food? Pasteurized milk? pesticides, polluted water, meat with antibiotics, veggies whenever we want them despite the season, AC, so on and so on. Recently I have been thinking on how the contours of the land has changed due to humanity's long interaction with their environment.Carving tunnels through mountains,moving earth to make a field,or lift houses above a flood plain. Removing trees,and relocating wildlife.

These things are not purely good or bad. But, with the good aspects of these modernizations we also have to acknowledge the not-to-good. If you enjoy eating inexpensive and convenient meat not raised or slaughtered by yourself, you kindof have to acknowledge factory farms that make it possible,and the chemicals fed to these factory animals to keep them healthy so that they can live to fill our ever-growing appetites.

Okay, this went places I didn't expect when I started out,but the old-timers here will be used to my occasional side trips into academic babble.

Actually NDs are MDs with extra training. MDs treat symptoms, not causes. Since my MD could not help me, I went to an ND--eating better, avoiding toxins, eating organic, is better for everyone. MDs will not go into ANY of that. B/c they have not studied it and do give a flying fig. They have no idea, nor do they care, how it can affect health. And saying it doesn't is like saying the sky is not blue.

Maybe try going to an ND before passing such strict judgement. And believing things you read in the regular media, you might as well be reading tea leaves b/c it's utter BS. And yes I do know what I'm talking about. I've done TONS of research on this, mainly because I actually care what I put into my body, unlike most Americans, and b/c my regular docs cannot help me, very unsurprisingly.

You sound like my father, who is very set in his OLD ways and anything other than what he is used to is "wrong". If everyone thought that way, we'd be living in the 1800s still. Wouldn't that be nice.

Oh yeah, btw, the doc who suggested this syndrome, is NOT an ND.

Ok i do not see the inflamming side..we all go through a lot and come to personal opinions because of what we have been through.

In any profession there are the good and the bad .there are great docs and the not so great docs..

I think sometimes i hear "frustrated " being spoken , rather than people trying to cause an issue...

Its easy to misread each other at times when we are tired or in pain

Just sayin

@Diane--what made your PTs say those dx were incorrect? I'm just curious.
I have no pressure points, just seems like random pin pricks and itching all over. My pain was in most of my body, primarily joints, but also hips, forearms, shins...
Which is part of the connective tissue dx for me.

This article is pretty much what my therapist told me..

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/whyfmscfsarelinked/a/myofascialpain.htm


I also found this -

https://www.healingwell.com/library/fibro/webber3.asp


http://www.fmcpaware.org/m-n/myofascial-pain-syndrome

".. Fibromyalgia is a generalized amplification of pain or hypersensitivity condition and is associated with tender points in the muscles.

Tender points are focal areas of muscle tissue that are exquisitely tender to compression. The tender points of fibromyalgia are painful locally at the site where the pressure is applied, without referred pain to distant areas.

By contrast, myofascial pain syndrome is considered in the narrow definition to be a disorder of trigger points.

Similar to tender points, trigger points also are discreet areas in muscle tissue and/or its associated fascia that are exquisitely tender to compression; however, unlike tender points, when pressure is applied to the trigger point, pain occurs not only at the site of the applied pressure, but also at a distant site (zone of pain referral).

Trigger points are found in taut bands (firm elongated bands) within the muscle fibers and are associated with the local twitch response. This local twitch response is an involuntary transient contraction of the taut band muscle fibers and can be elicited by snapping or pinching the taut band. .."

Post Edited (DianeB) : 6/13/2015 6:01:35 PM (GMT-6)