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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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For Everyone


 

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

 

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.

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.

Stretching: The Video, by Bob Anderson, 1987

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.



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

 

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.

   

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.

   

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.

   

 

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.
   

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.

   

Fascial Release for Structural Balance, by James Earls and Thomas Myers

 

This is an update of Anatomy Trains, including kinetics, myofascia and its stabilization.

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.

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. 

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.  

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.  

   
Fitness for the Pelvic Floor 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.
   

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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