Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Myofascial pain syndrome is often underdiagnosed and overlooked. This is because many of its symptoms overlap with other conditions that affect your nerves, bones, ligaments or tendons.

To diagnose myofascial pain syndrome, your healthcare provider will need to physically examine your muscles — to feel for taut bands of muscles and then find the tender spots. Finding and applying pressure to a trigger point will result in pain, felt at the immediate spot or in an area a short distance away (referred pain).

Are there tests that can help diagnose myofascial pain syndrome?

Currently, there are no tests that can diagnose myofascial pain syndrome. There are also no visible signs like redness, swelling or unusual muscle warmth.

Your healthcare provider may recommend tests to rule out other conditions. They may also ask you questions about your symptoms, including:

• Where do you feel the pain?
• How would you describe your pain?
• How often do you experience pain?
• What makes your pain better?
• What makes your pain worse?
• Have you had any recent injuries?
• Do your symptoms get better at certain times during the day?
• What kind of work do you do?
• What kinds of movements does your job involve?

Your healthcare provider may check your gait (how you walk) and your posture to see if there’s a balance of muscle use and look for signs of muscle weakness. They may also ask you about other health problems that can contribute to myofascial pain syndrome — including how much and how well you sleep and if you feel stressed, anxious or depressed.