Myofascial pain unresponsive to standard treatment - Successful use of a strain and counterstrain technique with physical therapy

Chronic pain disorders, including fibromyalgia and myofascial pain syndrome often do not respond adequately to standard therapy. The cases reviewed he rein suggest the strain and counterstrain (SCS) technique, described in 198 1 by Jones, may be helpful in reducing pain and improving function in patie nts with localized myofascial pain syndromes. This was a case study and ret rospective review of 20 patients who had had chronic pain for an average of 27 years and were treated with SCS for pain relief. For all these patients , prior medical treatment had failed to provide pain relief or return of fu nction. The procedure is a fairly common osteopathic and chiropractic. A re duction in pain and an increase in function of 50%-100% occurred in 19 of 2 0 patients immediately after SCS therapy. Partial improvement was maintaine d for 6 months in 11 of 20 patients, and 4 were still pain free. We believe that SCS technique should be considered and evaluated further as adjunctiv e therapy for patients previously unresponsive to standard treatment for my ofascial pain syndrome.