International experts present the latest advances in soft tissue pain diagnosis and treatment Soft Tissue Pain Syndromes: Clinical Diagnosis and Pathogenesis is a collection of the finest presentations from the 2004 International MYOPAIN Society’s Sixth World Congress held in Munich, Germany. Internationally respected experts present the state-of-the-art in pain mechanisms, myofascial pain syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome, and inflammatory myopathies. Up-to-date innovative studies illustrate appropriate diagnosis approaches and latest practical treatments for soft tissue pain syndromes of all types. To remain effective, physicians and other health care professionals treating soft tissue pain must strive to stay current on the latest research and cutting-edge therapies. Soft Tissue Pain Syndromes explores the latest advances in clinical evaluation, investigation, and principles of management of soft tissue pain in tendons, ligaments, bursa, fascia, muscles and nerves. The book is extensively referenced and contains several figures, tables, and graphs to enhance understanding. Topics in Soft Tissue Pain Syndromes include: new developments in the understanding of myofascial trigger points (TrPs) medical and structural conditions associated with TrPs the causes of orofacial pain treatment to inactivate TrPs effective therapies for myofascial pain the latest developments in the understanding of fibromyalgia syndrome diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis of fibromyalgia innovative nonpharmacologic therapies for fibromyalgia the metabolism of muscle cells and metabolic myopathies studies on therapies for idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) low back pain—with the latest therapies reactions in the spinal cord to a painful lesion of a muscle the latest findings in the morphopathogenetic background of muscle pain Soft Tissue Pain Syndromes is crucial reading for physicians and other health care professionals interested in the latest innovations in treating soft tissue pain.