Myofascial origins of low back pain

Preview

More than 30 years ago, Dr Janet Travell, in collaboration with Dr Seymour Rinzler, prepared an exhibit on the myofascial genesis of pain for an annual session of the American Medical Association. The principal features of this exhibit were published in POSTGRADUATE MEDICINE in May 1952 (pages 425–34). In the intervening years, we have received innumerable requests for permission to reprint the diagrams from this article, and requests are still coming in.

Now, this classic work has been expanded and updated by Dr David Simons, collaborating with Dr Travell. In this first part of the three-part article in this issue, the authors discuss the physiologic and pathologic mechanisms underlying the common, troublesome syndromes of myofascial low back pain; the general approach to diagnosis; and the basic principles of treatment. Although this article is detailed in its consideration of pertinent anatomy, the thoughtful reader will be rewarded with a thorough understanding of this type of back problem.