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Fibromyalgia
(FM) and
Chronic Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction (CMPD)
Information
for Patients and Supporters
with
Devin Starlanyl
|
Recommended Reading:
Physical Therapy
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Pain information and support. Please bookmark this page and use it to
order books and other materials from Amazon.com.
For Everyone
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The Winner’s Guide to
Pain Relief, by myofascial pain specialist Hal Blatman, MD, and Brad
Ekvall, BFA, is ready to teach you how to improve your quality of life.
Read more about it here. |
I've used these (and have worn out one manual).
These stretches are easy to follow, and you can pick the stretches you
need the most.
Feeling Better Exercises
100 gentle, easy stretches developed by the
founder of The Academy for Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy, Tasso Spanos,
specifically for people with
myofascial trigger point pain and dysfunction. Patients with
chronic myofascial pain or multiple TrPs and fibromyalgia are advised to
begin slowly, doing only a small amount of the exercises the first day,
with no repetitions. If this is tolerated, more can be added the
next day. For more information on myofascial TrPs and on the CD or
video, click
here.
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Stretching:
20th Anniversary Ed., by Bob Anderson
This is the book that medical professionals recommend to
people just starting to get back in shape. It features more than 20 new stretching routines,
including those for sports enthusiasts, travelers, children, etc.
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Stretching
for Working America, by Bob Anderson and Sally Carlson
This book was written
for the worker — to relieve stress, prevent injury and promote fitness in
everyday living. It contains selected stretches by Bob Anderson and edited
text by Sally Carlson, disability cost management specialist. It features
a ten minute routine that can be done standing before and/or after each
work shift. The clear illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions are
ideal for the individual worker or can be used as part of an organized
program for business, large or small.
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Stretching:
The Video, by Bob Anderson, 1987 |
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Ergonomic
Living: How to Create a
User-Friendly Home and Office,
by Gordon Inkeles, Iris Schencke
This book has everything.
Not just
the normal desk ergonomics, although that is in here too. There is
information on how to sleep, how to read, and how to prepare food. This book may help you
cut down on your pain.
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The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook
(2nd Edition):
Your Self-Treatment
Guide for Pain
Relief,
by
Clair Davies, N.C.M.T.
So many of the symptoms that
are diagnosed as
fibromyalgia and other illnesses are actually due to TrPs. For
example, treating the myofascial pain component of arthritis may
significantly reduce the pain load. This book
has easy to understand diagrams and clear instructions that will
enable the average person to locate and treat myofascial TrPs.
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Acupressure for Common Ailments, by Chris Jarmey and John Tindall
This small book is a good summary of some
common acupressure points and treatment techniques.
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Back Pain Relief - The Ultimate Guide: A
Comprehensive Back Pain Management
Program, by Robert H. Miller, Christine A. Opie
Miller's book deals with more than back
pain. There are detailed instructions on many forms of bodywork and mind
work that you can do for yourself. Nutrition, exercise, meditation,
spirituality — it's all covered here. There are also two CD disks that are
very valuable in developing mind work and bodywork programs.
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The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science
of Chinese Energy Healing,
by
Kenneth S. Cohen, 1997
The way of Qigong is a big book, but it
is the best I have read on this subject, and I have read many. It explains
not only the fundamentals of qigong, but relates it healing with
experimental evidence. Included are sections on breathing, relaxation,
energy, and comprehensive appendices.
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Pain Free, by Pete Egoscue with Roger Gittines
Pete Egoscue's book is unusual in that it
is not written by a medical authority. Pete Egoscue is a sports injury
consultant, and he is exceedingly knowledgeable about the function of the
muscles groups. He has developed low-impact exercises to "reset" your
muscle groups and realign your bones. These exercises are deceptively
simple but can take all you have to complete. They are preventative
medicine at its best.
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Job's Body, by Deane
Juhan, Station Press, 1987.
This book was the text used by one of my
massage therapists. It presents how your body works and the connections
of one system to another, with special attention to the muscles, myofascia
and nerves that gives a great background on FMS and CMP.
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An Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy:
Anatomy, Function, and Treatment,
by Don Cohen, 1996.
If you feel you need a live-in
craniosacral release therapist, this is the next best thing. It explains,
with the help of some clear drawings, what craniosacral therapy is and
how to perform the basics. It helps to have a little anatomy. This book
was written by a chiropractor and gives you a feel for what CSR therapy
is all about.
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For
Bodyworkers
For extra information on myofascial TrPs by
Tasso Spanos, the founder of the original Academy for Myofascial Trigger
Point Therapy, including access to a diagnostic chart to help you figure
out which TrPs are contributing to interscapular pain, and an exercise
CD or video designed specifically for people with myofascial TrPs, click
here.
Patients with chronic myofascial pain or multiple TrPs and fibromyalgia
are advised to begin the exercise program slowly, doing only a small
amount of the exercises the first day, with no repetitions. If this is
tolerated with minimal post-exercise soreness, more of the exercises can
be added the next day
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The
Concise Book of Neuromuscular Therapy: a trigger point manual by John
Sharkey. Although this book was written specifically for neuromuscular
therapists, it is a fine introduction to myofascial trigger points for anyone
who practices manual medicine. Now that TrPs are being recognized as a key
maintenance factor of fibromyalgia central sensitization, professionals of all
types need to understand that their scope is more than just sports medicine.
This book contains an overview of TRP physiology, patient assessment and
treatment, and clear diagrams and descriptions of TrP symptoms, and I highly
recommend it.
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NeuroKinetic Therapy: An Innovative Approach to Manual Muscle Testing by David Weinstock. 2010.
This concise, clear book has what you need to identify weak muscles. This could help discover deep or otherwise hidden TrPs.
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Clinical
Mastery in the Treatment of Myofascial Pain, by Lucy Whyte Ferguson and
Robert Gerwin.
In my opinion, this
book should be read and reread by anyone who practices any form of
myofascial pain medicine. If you want to know which order to treat
TrP-laden muscles and how to release difficult areas and so much more, it’s
here, waiting for you.
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The Winner’s Guide to
Pain Relief, by myofascial pain specialist Hal Blatman, MD, and Brad
Ekvall, BFA, is ready to teach you how to improve your quality of life.
Read more about it here. |
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Ethics of Caring: Honoring the Web of Life in Our Professional Healing
Relationships, by Kylea Taylor
Patients in chronic pain often have boundary
issues. This can make life more difficult for care providers who do not
have mechanisms in place to safeguard their own boundaries and still provide
compassionate care. This is an interesting and comprehensive
exploration of ethical issues that may develop, as well as problem
preventing strategies.
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Fascial Release for Structural Balance,
by James Earls and Thomas Myers
This is an update of Anatomy Trains, including kinetics, myofascia and its stabilization.
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Range-Of-Motion Charts
Myofascial
trigger points (TrPs) cause muscle dysfunction and loss of range of motion
(ROM) even before they cause pain. Overlapping
TrP pain patterns can cause confusion for care providers and patients.
Specific ROM tests can help you distinguish between different TrPs.
A great tool to help care providers find specific TrPs and
document the dysfunction and its sources is the range of motion charts.
Visit Round
Earth Publishing and check out this
valuable resource.
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Acupuncture, Trigger Points and Musculoskeletal Pain, Second Edition,
by P.E. Baldry, 1993
This is a marvelous book for physical
therapists, acupuncturists and doctors of all types wishing to broaden
their knowledge, written by someone with a good background in myofascial
trigger points. This book is
too technical for many patients.
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Principles of Manual Medicine, Second
Edition, by Philip E. Greenman,
1996
This book is important for any doctor or
physical therapist involved with the practice of manual medicine. This
book is too technical for many patients.
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Informed
Touch: A Clinician’s Guide to the
Evaluation and Treatment of Myofascial
Disorders,
by Donna Finando LAc, LMT, and Steven Finando, PhD, LAc
This book is written for the acupuncturist
but would be a valuable guide to the informed patient and to the body
worker. The authors are
thoroughly familiar with myofascial TrPs and integrate them with their
method of acupuncture.
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Fitness for the Pelvic Floor
by Beate Carriere, PT. This excellent small book explains the various
layers of pelvic floor muscles in a simple way and gives exercises that can
help many people with stress incontinence or other indicators of pelvic
floor dysfunction to restore some function to these important muscles.
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Stretching for 50+: A Customized Program for Increasing Flexibility, Avoiding Injury, And Enjoying and Active Lifestyle.,
by Dr. Karl Knopf
This book can be helpful for any age, especially if muscles are tight. The Kindle Version is not recommended.
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