What is myofascial medicine?
Myofascial medicine is named after “myo”, meaning muscle, and “fascia”, meaning connective tissue. It is based on an understanding that when muscles injure they develop a taut band within them that has a firmer, more tender spot along it termed a trigger point. Trigger points may accumulate gradually through muscle ageing, or they may be the result of a traumatic injury. Treating these trigger points, by injection and/or massage, can quickly resolve many painful injuries and conditions resistant to other treatments.

The history of myofascial medicine
Documentation of myofascial medicine began in the middle of the 19th century. Its practice was further developed in the 1940s and 50s by myofascial medicine pioneer Dr Janet Travell, whose patients included the young Senator John F. Kennedy. Its development was continued by Professor David Simons and doctors such as Dr John Whiteside at MyoMed. Today, myofascial medicine is gaining renewed momentum within the healthcare professions.

Prevalence of myofascial conditions
The International Association for the Study of Pain states that approximately 50 per cent of all chronic pain is caused by myofascial trigger points. The experience of Dr Whiteside with sportspeople indicates that perhaps 90 per cent of all sports injuries are myofascial.

Treatment of myofascial conditions
From Dr Whiteside’s experience, injection of dilute local anaesthetic into the affected trigger point will rapidly resolve many injuries and chronic pain conditions, such as back pain, neck pain, headache or migraine, sports injuries, workplace injuries, musculoskeletal pain, arthritis and fibromyalgia.