mommymonster Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 For the past three or so years, my DH has pretty much chronic pain due to "trigger points." They can only be "released" by intensive massage and stretching. DH is pretty much massaging his legs for hours a day in hopes of pain relief. He has been to his general practioner, a number of specialists, an acupuncturist, physical therapy and massage therapists (the legit kind...). Unfortunately, he's still in a lot of pain, a lot of the time. Does anyone else deal with this? If so, have you found anything that helps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodhaven Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 No experience with that but wondering if he has an alignment problem. If his joints/bones are out of alignment, it could cause stress on muscles. Just a thought. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 We use a roller called The Stick that we bought at a running store. I'm thinking of buying a Body Back Buddy for my dh. I have found that stretching while there is an active knot makes things worse...but that could just be me! I know a couple people who find magnesium, specifically Natural Calm, helpful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpyTheFrog Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Books by Bonnie Prudden on myotherapy The book "Frozen Shoulder" Use this car polisher to massage everything http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-WP900-6-Inch-Polisher/dp/B000077CPT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426809213&sr=8-1&keywords=Black+and+decker+orbital+polisher 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 No advice, but I recently learned that type of muscle pain can be a symptom of diabetes. Has he had his blood sugar tested recently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 The trigger point therapy workbook was good (years ago, hope I got the name right), a theracane, biofreeze gel. What helped me was figuring out the cause, which would be different for everyone. My cause was undiagnosed chronic infection. Treated that and no more trigger points. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I have muscles that cramp up and will remain cramped for days. Sometimes it is in the form of muscle knots and sometimes the entire muscle. I've found that magnesium is key. I drink natural calm mixed with some other electrolyte powder in the a.m and p.m. If it's particularly bad, I will take an epsom salt bath to get the magnesium transdermally. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I would want to treat the cause rather than the symptom. There's a reason he hurts, had he seen a doc about it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Has he been checked for fibromyalgia? People think of it s a women's disease but men get it too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooksandBoys Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I had chronic, extensive trigger points for many years. They have been improved by the following: trigger point massage (think extra deep tissue), learning t do my own trigger point massage ( through Trigger Point Workbook, the green massage hook, a foam roller, and lots of massage with my fingers), adding magnesium to my regular supplements, and, finally, discovering "Alignment Matters" and the blog "Katy Says," both written by Katy Bowen. I did the above on that order, over the course of several years. Trigger point reduces the pain, magnesium reduces the severity of the trigger points, and alignment, the magic bullet, has largely eliminate the trigger points. I spent about a month doing everything Katy says to do in "Alignment Matters," including her suggested stretches, combined with my usual trigger point self massage. I had noticed that I was in less general pain within a few days of correcting my alignment, but the amazing moment came after about a month when I realized that the trigger points Weren't Coming Back! I used to self massage daily. Now I do it weekly, if that, and also massage significantly fewer areas of my body. Seriously, this book is awesome (but the other stuff helps too). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Fibromyalgia or possibly Ehler's Danlos hypermobility both cause muscle tension. A rheumatologist would be able to evaluate for those conditions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Just a note (because I went to our library site and put a hold on it) the book Alignment Matters is by Katy Bowman (not Bowen). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 Thank so much, everyone, for your thoughts! We've been working on this for a while, and it's awesome to have new input. We do have a moderately ridiculous collection of massagers, stretchers and balls that DH uses for massage. No advice, but I recently learned that type of muscle pain can be a symptom of diabetes. Has he had his blood sugar tested recently? DH gets it checked annually and it is always in the regular zone.. He's ridiculously healthy and is on the thin side (not so for his wife... sigh.). The trigger point therapy workbook was good (years ago, hope I got the name right), a theracane, biofreeze gel. What helped me was figuring out the cause, which would be different for everyone. My cause was undiagnosed chronic infection. Treated that and no more trigger points.Good luck! We have been trying to find a cause, but to no avail. Would you mind sharing a bit on the chronic infection? Where was the infection located, if I can ask? It's one of those things where DH doesn't seem to have any sores, headaches, allergies, etc, so I wouldn't know where to suggest anyone look for infection. I have muscles that cramp up and will remain cramped for days. Sometimes it is in the form of muscle knots and sometimes the entire muscle. I've found that magnesium is key. I drink natural calm mixed with some other electrolyte powder in the a.m and p.m. If it's particularly bad, I will take an epsom salt bath to get the magnesium transdermally. DH supplements with magnesium, but hasn't really noticed a difference. I will try to talk him into an epsom salt bath, but he's more of a shower sort of a guy. I would want to treat the cause rather than the symptom. There's a reason he hurts, had he seen a doc about it? He's seen at least a dozen health care professionals, looking for a cause. Everyone smiles and nods, but doesn't seem to have a clue or the inclination to get to the bottom of the issue. Has he been checked for fibromyalgia? People think of it s a women's disease but men get it too. I will suggest this. DH has sleep issues, fatigue and some of the other symptoms listed. I am surprised no one has suggested this. I had chronic, extensive trigger points for many years. They have been improved by the following: trigger point massage (think extra deep tissue), learning t do my own trigger point massage ( through Trigger Point Workbook, the green massage hook, a foam roller, and lots of massage with my fingers), adding magnesium to my regular supplements, and, finally, discovering "Alignment Matters" and the blog "Katy Says," both written by Katy Bowen. I did the above on that order, over the course of several years. Trigger point reduces the pain, magnesium reduces the severity of the trigger points, and alignment, the magic bullet, has largely eliminate the trigger points. I spent about a month doing everything Katy says to do in "Alignment Matters," including her suggested stretches, combined with my usual trigger point self massage. I had noticed that I was in less general pain within a few days of correcting my alignment, but the amazing moment came after about a month when I realized that the trigger points Weren't Coming Back!I used to self massage daily. Now I do it weekly, if that, and also massage significantly fewer areas of my body. Seriously, this book is awesome (but the other stuff helps too). I will definitely get the Trigger Point Workbook and Alignment Matters. Thank you for the recommendations! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooksandBoys Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Just a note (because I went to our library site and put a hold on it) the book Alignment Matters is by Katy Bowman (not Bowen). Thanks for the correction, Jean. I was working from my faulty memory and unable to verify her last name when posting earlier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Re seeing drs who smile and nod and cannot find a cause . . . This is very, very typical when there is some sort of weird underlying condition like fibro or EDS. Many who suffer from these diseases take a decade to arrive at a diagnosis. Try to write a timeline of symptoms and exacerbating events before seeing a doctor next. If there is a pattern to be found, such a timeline will help a great deal. In the meantime, where there are knots like that, often a chiropractor can really help, even if (especially if?) there is an underlying disorder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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