The fascia are the coverings of bundles of muscle fibers. The more bundles of muscle fibers that are grouped together, they are also covered in more fascia. Think of them as old fashioned telephone wires that were covered in brightly colored plastic coatings then small bundles of these wires were grouped together & tied only to be grouped together with even more bundles! That's similar to the way muscle fibers are found in just one muscle; such as the biceps. Or any other groups of muscles.
These fascia can become affected by contracting just like our muscles do. I don't know exactly how chronic myofascial pain is caused though. I hope I was at least helpful in clearing up the anatomy for you.
Though, sadly I'm not much use for anything else.

Hi Nor: Christine Anderson's answer was spot on. The bundles of muscle fibers can form what is called a trigger point that can be very painful. These trigger points refer pain to other places in your body. For inxtance, a trigger point in your scapula or back can refer pain that feels like your bones are hurting. You need to learn to work the trigger point out so it becomes more smooth. A licensed therapeutic massage therapist can help a lot with this.You can look for a book called Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain written by Devin J. Starlanyl M.D. & Mary Ellen Copeland, M.S., M.A.Copyright 1996. Dr. Starlanyl has both Fibro & Myofascial Pain. She did much research & this book is a good reference book. Also a Dr. Travell. I can't find the book, but she discovered Myofascial pain & was a pioneer in early research. Hope this helps you. Let me know if you have any questions or just talk. I have both & have a lot of experience coping. Bless you Hugs!

@A myRAteam Member yes it is horrible pain. Along with my DDD, forminal stenosis, arthritis, and severe lumbar spondyolosis. Just adds it up to a great pain pakage for me. Thanks to my pain Dr and my medixation he makes it liveable. God bless ya hon. On top of RA it stinks..will keep you in my prayers. Much love and hugs

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A myRAtea...

try a place like massage envy. you join and the massages cost less than most spas. But ask for someone that knows fibro/ra

I am sorry to hear you are dealing with the myofascial pain. It hurts: it burns: it makes life miserable! I have had fibromyalgia and been dealing with this for about 20 years ... probably longer, but that's when it was diagnosed. Can I share some of the things that I've found that work for me?

1. Regular, adequate SLEEP. You can look up "sleep hygiene" for more info on that topic and how it may apply to you.
2. Healthy DIET. I find that when I go off-track from that for more than a meal/day, I go into a flare.

3. EXERCISE. There are two important things to remember here.
First, you lose your "muscle memory". That means your body doesn't remember from day-to-day the exercises you did before. So, you literally start over every day. That is why the exercises have to be kind and gentle to your body. I've always done aqua therapy. Also, my therapists have cautioned me about weights/machines that "bulk up".
Next, because you don't have the "muscle memory", it is important you get some type of exercise every day, even if it is just walking a lap around the outside of your house. For us, exercise is not an option, it is a critical part of our well-being. The most I can go without exercise is 48 hours. On the third day, I have to do something or my body goes into a flare ... even if I am sick. I have gone walking with pneumonia, the flu, bad migraines, etc
The other thing is that when I have had an injury/broken bones or gone through surgery, I've asked for physical therapy referral so the therapist could help me exercise. BTW, it is possible to get massage therapy for pain management/treatment (including myofascial massage/deep tissue massage) as part of physical therapy. I currently get it once a week.

4. Learn your TRIGGERS. Once you figure those out, you can take medication prior to the pain acting up/flaring. This can help to lessen and/or prevent the symptoms.

5. Manage your STRESS. When we are under stress, our bodies tense up and go into the "fight or flight" mode. Well, guess what we are physically tightening up? When (potentially) confronted with a situation, I ask myself "am I willing to go through the physical pain that may come from dealing with this situation?" In other words, that old saying "am I willing to die for this". That may sound trite but I've come to value my health too much to become involved in unnecessary stressful situations. It hurts!

Hope this helps. Feel better soon! =^^=