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High Powered Laser Therapy / Myofascial Trigger Points / Experiences

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Fibromyalgia
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Posted 10/29/2020 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hey there,

my name is Felipe and this is my absolute first post here. I've been browsing through some of the threads and will definitely look to post some replies in the upcoming days!

Anyways,
I have been recently looking for patients who've had some experience with High Intensity Laser Treatment (not LLLT!) and was wondering about protocols, length, device used etc... I'd love to hear more about it, considering that I did a couple of sessions and they actually showed some promise.

I can offer information/experience/knowledge on a LOT of medication, including but not limited to: Pregabaline, Gabapentine, Amitriptyline, Duloxetine, Paroxetine, Tramadol, Opioids, CBD oil, Tropisetron, LDN, Memantine... those are off the top of my head.

I can also help with many, many treatments that I've personally undertaken and some which I've researched: Trigger point injections, fitness training, cardio, rehabilitation, physical therapy, pain management protocols, meditation, cryo-chambers, acupuncture, transcranial direct current stimulation, hypnosis, psychotherapy, physiotherapy, muscle strengthening, progressive muscle relaxation, LLLT, high-powered shockwaves.... again, off the top of my head.

I'm from Germany and have been talking to a lot of people around here and in Europe, but I'm exhausting my options... it slowly feels like I've done everything there is to do but I'm CONSTANTLY researching, looking up new info, going through medical research, trying to find a path that leads me back to some quality of life, as the last 5 years have been absolute hell. Hope is on occasion very, very difficult to grasp.

But I'm a treasure trove of information, I believe, and offer everything I have on all the topics surrounding fibro/cfs and myofascial pain syndrome - if I can provide any sort of helping hand to whomever wants, I'd already be very happy. In that vein, I'd love to hear your thoughts, your experiences and perhaps, just perhaps, also something that could help me out.

Thank you.
Felipe
Posted 10/30/2020 8:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Filipe and welcome! I’m really sorry you have had to take all of these medications and treatments to try and get relief from Fibro. Here in the States the medication of choice for doctors here are Cymbalta. Lyrica, or Savella. Then sleep aids sometimes are added. As you found out, you took a lot of medication to no avail.

I like to use more natural things that have helped me a lot. I take ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, magnesium malate, vitamin D3, and a muscle relaxer that has made a significant difference in my pain. I could barely walk until I started taking this. The brand name is Robaxin and the generic name is methocarbamol. I never took as much as was prescribed and it does t make me sleepy or groggy. I take one 500 mg tablet every 12 hours and that’s perfect for me. I took more in the beginning but my pain really lessened. So you might ask your doctor if you could try this.

I also have used trigger point therapy. It really helps also. On Amazon there is a Trigger Point Therapy Workbook that is really helpful. I ‘m sure you could find it elsewhere but it was only around $15 for it...many years ago. You look up in the index the part of your body the pain is. Then it has diagrams showing where the trigger points are then you can press on them and massage. I fixed a frozen shoulder this way.

I sure wouldn’t spend money on laser treatment. I’ve never heard of anything like that being used on fibro patients. There is always someone out there willing to get their hands on your money. Of all people, you should know. What you have tried is astounding!

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are links to good info about fibro and you will learn a lot there. You just might see yourself there. 🙂

I’m looking forward to getting to know you better. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sherrine
Posted 11/3/2020 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hey there Sherrine,

thanks a lot for your reply! I'm glad you found a med that takes the edge off - methocarbamol and I have some history smile

A long time ago I took it and the side effects were at that point in time, truly intolerable. I might try again.

I'll definitely take a peek at Fibro 101 to familiarize myself with some stories and facts - I'm sure they are fascinating.

Well, trigger point therapy has been the foundation of my own (somewhat effective) treatment options; around 3 years ago I started trigger point therapy, first with pressure, then during osteopathy, then dry needling, then trigger point acupuncture and lastly, as well as currently, high-powered shockwaves (the latter ist thus far the only truly working therapy - which is however extremely painful and extremely novel, and (sigh) extremely complicated.
I believe at this point I have memorized all the trigger point diagrams and their pain patterns - god, I wish they'd only cause pain.... their clinical manifestation goes, as you probably know, way beyond that....

I've been trying to supplement as well, with omega 3-6 fatty acids, ashwagandha, uridine monophosphate, COQ10 and a couple more - magnesium dind't do anything for me unfortunately.... neither did vitamin D... I still take them in order to avoid any potential deficiencies but couldn't record betterments stemming from supplementation.

Did you know that by now, researchers assume that all fibromyalgia pain (and some of the dysfunction) actually stems from trigger points? Thus, in order to resolve fibro symptoms, one would have to eliminate all TPs ("bottoms-up" approach), combined with a "top-down" approach to reset pain processing in the brain. From all the info I could gather, that is currently only possible via cardio training and very few medications, such as Amitriptyline. Well, easier said than done of course!!

I was inquiring about the laser treatment, because I did a couple of sessions for the first time lately and have found some research demonstrating its efficacy in fibro treatment - it appears to be, just like the high-powered shockwaves, an extremely new modality for these devices and hence, I can't as of yet corroborate that with other patients. What gave me more hope is that I "felt" the effect of the high-powered laser during and after the few sessions I did - that is, I felt immediate, positive effects on my body in terms of both pain and other symptomatic, including pressure and fasciculations.

Given that there is neither any clinic offering that treatment close to me, nor are sessions covered by insurance, I was considering purchasing my own device to give it a go at home. If I was SURE of its potential long-term benefits in fibro and myofascial pain syndromes, I'd save up the necessary €10.000 for the device in a heartbeat.

Our lives are after all, affected in all areas by our diagnosis. All I wish is to regain some quality of life and if I need to purchase this dream for the rest of my life, I will. For I learn a lot on the way and accrue helpful information for patients in similar predicaments and hopefully, they can benefit from what I've learned as well.

How long have you been dealing with your problems? Can you do some fitness training to keep energy levels constant?

I look very much forward to hearing more!

Felipe
Posted 11/5/2020 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
I’ve not heard that researchers think that all fibro pain stems from trigger points but I have heard they think it could be a neurological problem as to how we process pain. I think they are still guessing but I hope they eventually will uNderstand this illness.

I sure wouldn’t do laser treatment on myself. I think you need to be trained. You could cause even more problems. You don’t want your treatment to be worse than your illness. Be careful.

You talk a lot about all the medications and other treatments you have done. I am wondering if you have had other illnesses ruled out. There are some illnesses that have many of the same symptoms as fibro...things like Lyme disease, lupus, and MS. These illnesses have tests that can be taken to help rule them out but fibro has no such test. So make sure to rule these out. There are different treatments for these illnesses than what you do for fibro.

At the top of this page you will see “support forums”. Click on it and you will see forums for these other illnesses. This may help you also.

I was diagnosed with fibro 33 years ago. I’ve always kept moving the best I can. I’m a firm believer that if you don’t use it, you lose it. I love my independence and will keep moving and I try not to be too sedentary but I’m not always successful. At one point the pain was so tremendous that I almost couldn’t walk. I needed two canes to take baby steps while being in intense pain. That’s when I started retaking ibuprofen and added the methocarbamol to the mix. What a difference. I take 500 mg tablets and the script said to take two tablets every six hours. Instead I took one tablet every six hours and it was helping. I had no side effects from it this way. I needed to be alert and able to drive too. This worked for me. As time went by I was able to cut back more and I now take one tablet every twelve hours...before breakfast and before dinner. I walk now.

Other exercise for me is my home. I have a large home that I take care of plus many gardens I take care of too. These are good forms of exercise for me. Also grocery shopping in these huge stores adds to more exercise for me. I’m 73 years old and do more than others who are younger. I still will have days where I’m more fatigued but I have learned ways of working around fibro to do the things I want to do.

I don’t take medications that can make me tired or sleepy. Most of my medications I take are for the diabetes I have. For fibro I take ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, magnesium malate, vitamin D3 and the methocarbamol. None of those can make me tired. And of course I walk and do everything I mentioned above. Some days I have to force myself but give myself a big pat on the back for my accomplishments and I do look forward to each new day. A positive outlook is a huge help with fibro. You will find a great link about having a positive attitude in Fibro 101.

I hope some of this information will help you.

Sherrine
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