Myofascial Pain refers to chronic pain of the muscles and the connective tissue called fascia that covers the muscles. This pain can also be referred to other areas. The points where this pain refers from are called trigger points.

This pain can be to due to several factors:

• Overuse of muscle

• Poor posture

• Lack of exercise

• Injury to vertebral discs

• Medical conditions

There are many treatments that have been to proposed to treat myofascial pain syndrome. Traditionally, these treatments have included:

• Physical therapy

• Stretch and Spraying- spraying muscle and trigger point with a coolant and afterward stretching the muscle

• Massage therapy

• Trigger point injection- with a local anesthetic

Recent research has been done to compare the effects of acupuncture to trigger point injection with a local anesthic (1-lidocaine, 2-cyclobenzaprine chlorohydrate and sodium dipyrone) .

After four weeks of treatment, the pain score was evaluated...

The study concluded that, “Acupuncture, when compared to trigger point injection... provided similar pain relief and improvement in quality of life.”

Acupuncture relieves pain naturally and has a similar effect to common pain relieving drugs.  It is an excellent alternative for those who want to avoid the use of drugs to relieve acute and chronic pain.

References

Gazi MC, Issy AM, Sakata RK. Comparison of acupuncture to injection for myofascial trigger point pain. Pain Practice 2011 March; 11: 132-138

Ga H, Choi JH, Park CH, Yoon HJ. Acupuncture needling versus lidocaine injection of trigger points in myofascial pain syndrome in elderly patients—a randomised trial. Acupuncture in Medicine- Journal of the British Acupuncture Society