Myofascial Pain Syndrome and fibromyalgia treatment

This short, 2-minute, video is about the Trigger point injections to treat chronic muscle pain. 

What do you think of this treatment option?
We would all love to hear from you if you have tried it.

Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain: Can Trigger Point Injections Help?

If you live with chronic muscle pain, you’re not alone — and you deserve treatment options that acknowledge the complexity of your experience. 

Understanding the Conditions

Trigger points are tight, sensitive bundles of muscle fibers that can develop after overuse or injury. They often cause referred pain — meaning the discomfort radiates beyond the original site. When this pain becomes chronic, it may evolve into Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS).

Trigger points can be found in people with fibromyalgia but they can be found in anybody.

While fibromyalgia and MPS can overlap, they are distinct conditions:

• Fibromyalgia is a systemic pain disorder involving widespread sensitivity, fatigue, and neurological symptoms. It typically requires a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.

• Myofascial Pain Syndrome arises from localized muscle dysfunction and responds well to manual therapies like ischemic compression and targeted stretching.

It’s possible to have both conditions simultaneously, which can complicate diagnosis and treatment — but also opens the door to more tailored care.

What Are Trigger Point Injections?

Trigger point injections involve inserting a small needle into the affected muscle knot and injecting a solution — often a local anesthetic, saline, or steroid — to relieve pain and restore function. This technique may help:

• Reduce localized muscle tension

• Interrupt pain signals

• Improve mobility and quality of life

Other non-pharmacologic treatments for trigger points include:

• Acupuncture

• Osteopathic manual therapy

• Massage and acupressure

• Dry needling

• Heat, ice, or ultrasound

• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

• Spray-and-stretch techniques using ethyl chloride

Further Reading on the blog

You might also find these articles helpful:

• Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome (Book Review)

• Muscle pain and myofascia: what is it and how is it diagnosed?

• Myofascial Trigger Points in Chronic Muscle Pain: Causes and Treatment

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

Trigger point injections aren’t a cure-all, but they may offer some relief. If you’ve tried this treatment — or are considering it — your insights could help others feel less alone in their journey.

Drop a comment below or share your experience. Your story matters.

Trigger Point Chart - A visual guide to common trigger point locations can help you identify patterns in your pain. 

RESOURCES

NIH Tender points/fibromyalgia vs. trigger points/myofascial pain syndrome
PubMed Trigger points and tender points

American Association of Family Physicians

LINKED UP AT FIBRO FRIDAY, where you can read fibromyalgia posts from great fibro bloggers.

Homeopathy helping Fibromyalgia

A plant used in a homeopathic tincture - Rhus toxicodendron

Scientific studies published in the journal of the British Society for Rheumatology have confirmed the real benefits of homeopathic medicines for fibromyalgia as distinct from a placebo.

Scientific Evidence for Homeopathy 
The first controlled trial testing the homeopathic treatment of patients with fibromyalgia was an impressive and sophisticated double-blind "crossover" trial that was published in the prestigious British Medical Journal (Fisher et al, 1989). 

A crossover trial is a sophisticated method to test the efficacy of a treatment because each patient's results with the "real treatment" are compared with that same patient's results with a placebo. 

While most double-blind studies compare one group of people who receive the "real treatment" with another (hopefully similar) group of people who receive a placebo, crossover trials compare the results of each person and his/her response to real treatment with his/her response to placebo.

The researchers found that there was a substantially significant degree of improvement in the reduction of tender points and improved pain and sleep when the subjects were taking the homeopathic medicine, as compared to when these same subjects were taking a placebo.

Read Dana Ullman's full article in the Huffington post.
A study done into fibro and homeopathy.

If you are interested in alternative therapies for Fibromyalgia please see my post on all the natural treatments I have tried. 

DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS

Wellness isn’t a destination—it’s a dynamic process. And for those of us living with chronic illness, neurodivergence, or relational stress, it can feel like a moving target. But exploring the eight dimensions of wellness can offer a more compassionate, holistic way to check in with ourselves.

Have you heard of the eight dimensions of wellness? Here you can find a summary of what they are...

Wellness, or our sense of well - being, is all about how we feel about life and how we function.

It is not just about our health or lack of it.

Wellness involves many dimensions that make up the whole person. 

There are eight areas that influence our ability to function at a healthy level: 

1. Physical Wellness — a lack of illness and/or disability and the role you take in maintaining your body for strength, vitality and energy.

2. Emotional Wellness — an ability to cope and manage stress and being at peace with who you are.

3. Intellectual Wellness — the ability to think, reason and remember and staying open to new ideas.

4. Social Wellness — the ability to connect with a support system of family and friends or the wider community.

5. Occupational Wellness — the ability to contribute, use your own skills and abilities.

6. Spiritual Wellness — understanding of your place and purpose, having a sense of purpose and meaning beyond self. 

7. Environmental Wellness — feeling safe at home and around your area and the impact you have on the planet and the planet has on you.

8. Financial Wellness — having sufficient money to meet your basic needs. 


So I am off to think about each of these eight areas, to see if I have a balance in the aspects of wellness? To decide where are things going well and where they need improvement?
Besides physical wellness, which is a given area anyone with fibromyalgia would like to improve, where else would you like to see change?

As I reflect on these eight areas, I’m noticing not just what needs support—but also what’s already holding me up. What’s one dimension you feel proud of, about yourself, today?


The 8 petalled paris japonica

FURTHER READING: Why Do We Get Sick? Why Do We Get Better? A Wellness Detective Manual

This post is linked up at Fibro Friday week 9 where you can check out great fibro bloggers.