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Myofascial pain trigger points
nerve root pain satellite trigger points
The first possible recognition of Trigger points may have been
an offshoot of acupuncture's study of meridians and acupoints.
In the seventh century, during the Tang Dynasty (618 AD – 907
AD) a renowned physician by the name of Sun Ssu-Miao wrote a textbook (Thousand
Golden Prescriptions) which actually described a different type of point. These
were not fixed in position along recognized meridians as are acupoints, but
appeared on the body if disease or injury occurred. They were points which
became spontaneously tender, and were detected by palpation when the troublesome
part of the body was examined. When the physician pressed on the point, the
patient would cry out ‘aah shi!’ meaning ‘ah yes’. These are still referred to
as ah-shi points, or ‘points of pain’
‘Ah-shi’ may be described as any local tender points to be found
in the area of pain that give a reaction when stimulated but which are not
recognized acupoints on any actual meridian.
Sir Thomas Lewis, director of clinical research at University
College Hospital, London found an interesting phenomenon when he was working on
an artificial method of producing muscle pain. He found that injections of
saline into muscle produced quite intense pain. Not only that, however, but the
pain often extended or radiated a considerable distance from the site of the
injection. For example, a saline injection in the triceps muscle often
produced pain all the way down into the little finger. Similarly, an injection
in the trapezius muscle often produced an occipital headache. The triceps muscle
links to the tip of the baby finger along the small intestine meridian. The
trapezius muscle links to the back of the head along the bladder meridian. It
was a short step from this to find that certain points were particularly tender
in painful conditions with a wide area of pain. When these points were injected
with local anaesthetic, the pain in the wider area could be made to disappear.
Now Saline injections are being used to reduce pain and breakup
the scar tissue associated with trigger points.
Epidural injections of saline are
being investigated for breaking up scar tissue. One 2001 study compared targeted
injections of saline and steroids directed at the nerve root. Although steroid
injections had more immediate benefits, both offered improvement, and by three
months, patients who had saline injections experienced less pain than the
steroid group.
This phenomenon is the effect of trigger points radiating to
other points along the relative meridians.
Trigger point therapy is one of the largest and fastest growing
muscle therapies today. Janet Travell, M.D., the White House physician under
former President John F. Kennedy, and Dr. David Simons initially coined the
phrase "trigger point therapy" to describe their then cutting edge treatments to
resolve trouble spots. Travell used these techniques to treat JFK’s back pain.
In the 1970’s Bonnie Prudden advanced Travell and Simons’ methods by developing
a system of non-invasive techniques, which are widely used today by professional
athletes, massage and physical therapists, and prescribed and recommended by
medical doctors.
To learn more about utilizing acupressure on your own,
Self applied
acupressure
For a review of other types of massage click here
These tools may assist in the performance of self
administered acupressure.
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