I just tried a new therapy - Myofascial release - that I found on the forums here, and so I thought I could share my experience as I progress through it since more people may be wondering. I have been searching for a resolution as I have been pretty much in constant pain since july, and had lots of ATN for the last year. Normally, my ATN is manageable with relaxation techniques, taking days off (really off) and yoga. But worsening of this thing is not uncommon, so I decided to try something different in case this was just my new status quo.
My first session was Tuesday evening, and I arrived not knowing anything about the method. I had spoken with the therapist several times, and she sounded friendly and I immediately had all the confidence in her that I needed to not actually look the therapy method up beforehand. And all the confidence in this thread. :)
The session started with talking about my body, my illness status, my TN/ATN especially and other things I have tried (acupuncture, physiotherapy, talking therapy etc). She wanted me to map where in my body I felt pain, and describe it on a 0-10 scale. Then she told me that she would begin the MFR with pressing gently on my sacrum and see where in my body she could detect a response. I lay down (in underwear), and was covered by warm blankets apart from the lower back. She pressed very slowly and gently, and held the pressure with minuscule adjustments, for maybe 10 mins. Blissful!
After only a few minutes, my legs started twitching in those kinds of spasms you have when you almost fall asleep, and I could feel them flopping a little to the sides. And weirdly, my hands got really warm! That really never happens, my fingers are always icicles. I could feel the relaxation spread down the legs, which kept twitching, and up my back. It was all very, very comfortable, and instead of sleepy, I was very aware of my body the whole time. And for the first time in a week of 6-10 pain, I had no pain in the face.
Because of the twitching, she moved to work on my legs. This meant I had to turn around, and she then extremely carefully stretched and pulled my leg. And boy - all of a sudden, my face gave in and all my muscles relaxed. The pain was completely gone. She continued to work on my other leg, and the face was still ultra-relaxed. I was so happy and the feeling stayed all evening.
The whole session was very gentle, and apart from pressing on my sacrum and pulling my legs, she did nothing. But that took a whole hour. The room was completely dark when I opened my eyes, and it appears that most of her attention is focussed on feeling what happens in my body and how she should respond. When I walked home (slowly!), I could feel my lower back being entirely free of tension. A previous physiotherapist who works with a specifically Norwegian technique called "psycho-motorical physiotherapy" and releases emotional tension in the body, and who I followed therapy with for a year (for something else), told me that I carry pent up emotions in my lower back especially, and I usually felt "off" the day after she had worked on me. Well, exactly the same "offness" set in the day after this MFR session, and since I know this is how my body responds to release of emotional character, this told me that it is doing something really worthwhile for me.
The same evening and continuing the next day (yesterday), my lower back felt like it really had been worked hard. Funnily enough, my upper back, which she never touched, felt the same. And bliss! My face was pain free until I sat in front of the computer for an hour - my worst trigger. Yesterday evening, the TN1 broke through my Tegretol, which indicates that something special has happend to my face. I ended the night quite high on the scale.
Apart from my computer trigger (had to take breaks writing this post), I have been pain free today, minus some tiny TN breakthrough pain. But the ATN is finally subsiding, and I am so happy. I will definitely keep this up, and hopefully I will get good, lasting results from this therapy.
Looking forward to the next session! More than willing to pay 30 GBP for this.