Healing Through Trigger Point Therapy: A Guide to Fibromyalgia, Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction

If you are genuinely interested, because you either suffer from conditions that this book helps to address, or you are an open-minded provider of therapy, then this book is the only one-stop remedial education that I know of yet. I say "remedial education" because after more than 20 years with FM originating from myofascial dysfunction and cascading TrP formation, I am familiar with all the ignorance and arrogance there is out there among practitioners, mainstream and alternative. I discovered this book at a point in my own research and experimentation with self-treatment, when I was intuitively suspecting exactly what Devin Starlanyl describes as the mechanisms and dysfunctions, completely physiological in origin, that I was suffering.The incompetence of medical research professionals is a disgrace, when they have assumed that because there are central nervous system abnormalities present in sufferers of a condition, then that is all there is to it. But surely it is "Neurology 101" that chronic physiological pain can precede and be the cause of, CNS dysfunction? For example, victims of evil regimes around the world, who have been incarcerated and tortured over prolonged periods, have CNS dysfunctions, do they not? Does that mean the CNS dysfunction is all there is to their history of pain?Devin Starlanyl has the most credible hypothesis out there, backed up with evidence, for the sequence in which much chronic pain conditions develop. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion among practitioners about the various symptoms and conditions which overlap each other, and if you are patient and read Starlanyl carefully, everything will be clarified.Here are what I regard to be highly important take-away points. Unfortunately Starlanyl, following in others steps, has utilised the term "Trigger Point" for what are actually "contraction nodules" in muscle tissue. Starlanyl does use the term "contraction nodule" in one place in the book, and I like this term. The problem is that "Trigger Point" is a term long since in common use among many kinds of therapist, to describe known points around the body that affect some other part of the body when they are pressed, needled, or treated in some way. This is nothing to do with dysfunctions at the locations of the Trigger Points, it is just part of existing treatments and understandings of body neurological pathways. Therefore, many practitioners first response to this whole new hypothesis involving contraction nodules, termed "Trigger Points", is to be confused and skeptical. The contraction nodules DO indeed act like Trigger Points as commonly understood, in affecting other parts of the muscle and the whole body, but they are much more than that. Unlike Trigger Points as understood by most practitioners, these nodules are highly dysfunctional, toxic little spots that ARE themselves the problem needing treatment.Clarifying what Fibromyalgia is and where it overlaps with "Myofascial Pain Syndrome", and where both overlap with "Contraction Nodules" (I hate the term "Trigger Point") is a really helpful part of this book. Contraction Nodules / "Trigger Points" are common in a lot of people; often being the cause of some prolonged pain or dysfunction at one particular location, eg the ankle. Often this is the reason that an injury seemed to "never heal". Contraction Nodules / "Trigger Points" are simply sarcomeres (muscle fibre strands) or larger assemblies of muscle tissue, surrounded by "myofascia" (the fine "wrap" around the muscle tissue) that has lost its normal lubricated, easy-sliding property, with the result that a clump - a nodule - of "stuck" muscle tissue has formed. Someone with a single one causing a problem somewhere, can be easily treated by an understanding practitioner."Fibromyalgia" on the other hand, is simply a diagnosis of widespread chronic pain in which most of a number (18?) of recognised points on the body are tender and painful; and the Central Nervous System is in a heightened state. MOST people with FM do actually have "Myofascial Pain Syndrome", Starlanyl correctly states, along with the fact that a small proportion of people with the tender points and the heightened CNS do not have MPS, but some other cause (Graves Disease, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, etc) of their FM. It is totally wrong that medical professionals dismiss so many patients with the diagnosis of FM, without moving on to what the underlying cause is, whether MPS or one of the rarer causes.I think it would be fair to say that everyone with MPS either has FM or is going to get it. The catalyst for the dysfunction in the myofascia is most likely body-wide - dehydration, energy-byproduct toxins not being metabolised out of the system, contamination with external toxins, etc. I recognise in my own history, the gradual spread and increase of pain and tension through more and more muscles of my body, and believe that contraction nodules / "trigger points" were multiplying in number through the years.Starlanyl's book is an exhaustive guide to identifying and working out some kind of order of approach to treatment of these numerous contraction nodules / "trigger points". It does not, unfortunately, dwell very much on the angle that the underlying condition responsible for the formation of the contraction nodules / "trigger points" could be perennial, and hence as fast as they are treated, by whatever means (acupressure, needling, cortisone injection, etc) they can simply recur. In my own long experience, experimentation with self-help / self-treatment, and eventual successful multi-disciplinary rehabilitation (not a "cure", but regaining many lost functions), I regard it as very important to have de-toxed as much as possible, dieted (paleo, low carb), and got plenty of the right kind and intensity of exercise and "movements". Supplementing intelligently with the aid of Hair Mineral Analysis tests is essential for detoxing and achieving the right mineral balance - elevated calcium and depleted magnesium is an ever-present phenomenon with these conditions, but many other elements go in and out of balance as one is self-treating. I suspect that getting these things right, allows the contraction nodules / "trigger points" to release in response to therapy of many kinds including basic massage and stretching. The body becomes more and more responsive to hands-on therapies and less and less prone to relapse.Every massage therapist, physiotherapist, etc are really quite used to contraction nodules / "trigger points", they are probably the lumps and bumps in muscles that are routinely treated, successfully in myriads of cases day after day. It is people with MPS and FM who are the "hard cases", with dozens of spots all over their bodies, that do not respond like normal people's muscle tissue does to basic therapy. Practitioners may find that "Trigger Point Therapy" such as acupressure, needling, cortisone injection, etc may "work" but only temporarily. And in my experience, acupressure was no more effective than massage (including many different types of massage) back when I was in the full grip of FM, and still doing all the wrong things that contribute to the myofascia stickiness, formation of contraction nodules, etc. For example, (hypothesizing here) exercising at an intensity that creates lactate that the FM victim's metabolism is ineffective at clearing post-exertion; an energy metabolism dependent on sugars (fat being stored by a contrary metabolism and not burned for energy); being subjected to unreasonable stress in daily life; unaddressed sleep disorders; etc. Starlanyl does touch on these things in this book, but this book is more focused on "treating the trigger points" (contraction nodules) and hence readers may not get the importance of a wholistic approach. "Trigger Point Therapy" is a useful tool but I believe that it must be part of a multi-disciplinary protocol if it is to have a net balance of "results over pain endured in therapy"!

Trigger point therapy is still on its infancy - which is an absolute shame because so many people with chronic pain have the majority of their pain coming from trigger points. Devin Starlanyl and John Sharkey teach you how to identify every trigger point, how to treat it, the perpetuating factors for each trigger point (things that prevent you from getting better). This book offers hope and a plan to turn your health around for the millions that suffer each day from chronic pain.

Invaluable. It is written in a clear language, and with full colour diagrams throughout, that show both the sites of origin of the pain, and referred pain regions, together with possible self help where appropriate, and better understanding and help from health professionals not previously offered to me. It is clear to understand and I learnt so much about the combined health conditions of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myfascial Pain Syndrome being so much more than just the sum of the 2 (which I already knew from the extremes I had been suffering). It has been an 18yr long nightmare, caused by early misdiagnosis and wrong medications that did nothing. It took 3 years just to get the right diagnosis and medications I should have been given. This book will help you get listened to and be taken seriously, thereby getting the right help.I have already had some benefit, and avoided unnecessary surgery. And I can now participate in a treatment plan and know what skills I need a physiotherapist or body-worker to have in order to get the benefit of reducing the Myofascial pain asap, to reduce how much and how far it is subsequently elevated to extreme levels (in my case), and spread by the Fibromyalgia. And not be put into a mixed bag of M.E. related patients or labelled as a hypochondriac!After several months of owning this I can honestly say I owe a great deal to the authors (who have one or both of these conditions themselves and understand what you are going through).I can't recommend it enough to sufferers of these debilitating conditions. All health care professionals and doctor practices should have a copy.

I received the book from Wordery in really good time and in great condition. I also love the fact that there wasn't loads of packaging so it fitted through my letter box. I wasn't home at the time so that saved me a lot of messing about and more environmentally friendly. I haven't got stuck into the book yet but when I do I'll review it. I'm sure it will be great because Devon Starlanyl, the author, really knows her stuff. She has an amazing website full of really useful info. information. She was an ER doctor but since developing these illnesses, and many more, she's left that role and has thrown herself into researching these illnesses and helping as many people as she can. She's so driven and is just an incredible lady. I can't wait to learn more about what exactly is causing this pain and what I can do about it.

The book came in perfect condition and on time. It has a great layout with images throughout that show areas of the trigger points and areas they may affect. A detailed book for patients and care givers. With a 2 double sided pages of a list of symptoms to refer to, it makes it easy to find specific information on them when needed.