Let’s talk about my secret weapons of managing myofascial pain and exactly how I use them.
The most important thing to mention, before we start, is that I have a holistic plan in place. We have to address some deep, root cause issues, before pain is going to improve. This includes sleep, stress reduction, pacing well, and much more. The most important parts of my holistic plan are low dose Naltrexone, sleeping better with sleep hygiene and quetiapine, yoga tools for calming the nervous system and much more.
Let’s dive into what I use specifically for managing myofascial pain
Stretching
I have many stretches that I do multiple times a day. Specifically neck stretches and cat and cow. I share these in this yoga class.
Self massage
Self massage of trigger points and tight muscles is something I do throughout the day. Once I notice that I am constantly trying to massage tight and painful muscles, I know it’s time to escalate my treatment options.
Heat pads
I have an electric heating pad and my microwavable one. Both have an important place in my myofascial pain routine. The microwavable one is for the day and the electric is for the night. You can check out these two options below.
One like this for my bed
One like this for sitting up
One like this for use throughout the day (yes, heat is so important that I am always around heating options!)
Peanut ball
I use this down the length of my spine (the pressure parts on my muscles, no pressure on the spine!) And it does help relieve tension. I use it against the wall. It is so great for relieving tension in my whole back, but especially up in my neck.
Traction cradle
This is my most recent purchase. I’ve been very conservative with it as I didn’t want to induce a bad response. So the first day I did two minutes. The second day I did three minutes and used my heating pad straight away. I think it helped. I could feel my body releasing on it. I will update as I use it more.
Intramuscular Needling
The king at this point is intramuscular needling. I see the physiotherapist every 2-4 weeks for this. She places acupuncture needles into the key trigger points and let’s them rest, increasing blood flow. Usually my suboccipital points and one in my upper back, depending on where the worst tension is.
My favourite myofascial pain treatments
So what does this look like, practically, across the day? I will start the day with my microwavable heating pad. And come back to it every few hours as needed. I do my stretches and self-massage regularly. I’m trying to remember to spend a few minutes every day using the traction cradle or the peanut ball to help remove tension. And I go to bed with my electric heating pad.
These are mine, what are your favourites? How do you use them?
