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Trigger Point Massage Therapy
Ever wonder what can be done to help headaches, neck stiffness, carpal tunnel
like symptoms, tennis elbow, bursitis, frozen shoulder, back pain, low back
stiffness, sciatica, and even shin splints?
Muscle, the body's largest organ, influences the quality and longevity
of our lives. Muscle pain can make us less active, more tense or fatigued.
Everyday pressures and stresses, overused injuries in athletes, whiplash trauma
and conditions like fibromyalgia or arthritis can produce muscular or "soft
tissue" pain often characterized by what many medical professionals call
"trigger points."
Trigger points can present themselves as referred patterns of sensation such
as sharp pain, dull ache, tingling, pins and needles, hot or cold, as well as
can create symptoms such as nausea, ear ache, equilibrium disturbance, or
blurred vision. These small, hyperirritable sites in the muscle tissue sometimes
refer pain to other locations as in headaches or sciatica.
Trigger Point Therapy may be the answer.
it is a type of massage therapy which examines and treats muscles and muscle
attachments in layers. It addresses surface muscles and connective
tissues and deeper ligaments and connective tissues. It is closely aligned with
the eastern technique of acupressure
massage. The treatment techniques are very similar, the guidelines for
applying acupressure apply to most Trigger Point Release applications.
It is a therapy that you can do to yourself. We have a detailed review
of how to approach Self massage with
trigger point release. Due to the location of many trigger points,
performing trigger point therapy on yourself can be awkward at best,
without the use of tools. We have select some of the best for your use. Check
out our massagers for trigger
point release and acupressure.
Trigger points usually occur up and down your body along the length off the
muscle. They are most common in the axial muscles (muscles that control
movement of the body from side to side), especially those used to maintain
posture, but can be found throughout the body. Trigger points generally
occur in more than one location. See the trigger
point chart below
Referred Pain
Trigger points cause referred pain in specific areas called pain reference
zones. These areas have been charted and are predictable, consistent, and
usually the pain is experienced in areas located away from the trigger point.
The referred pain is often described as dull, aching, and deep, and it can be
constant or occur off and on. Manipulating a trigger point elicits referred pain
and often slight nausea. In one of our newsletters we have charted the
trigger points that refer headache
pain. ,
Active and Latent Trigger Points
Trigger points can be classified as either active or latent. Active trigger
points cause ongoing, persistent pain; latent trigger points are pain free until
pressed. Both create a local twitch response when pressed. They are often
associated with decreased range of motion, weakness in the affected muscle
group, and decreased ability of the muscle to stretch. Often, active trigger
points can cause "satellite," or secondary, trigger points in the reference zone
that respond because of the increased stress to the involved muscle groups. For
example an active trigger point in the back can create pain and eventually and
satellite trigger point in the shoulder. Treating the shoulder trigger
point will not have a lasting effect without treating the originating trigger
point in the back.
Focal or regional autonomic dysfunction may occur with palpation of a trigger
point. Skin temperature decreases have been noted at trigger points, and skin
temperature can decrease in pain reference zones.
Origins of Trigger Point Therapy
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 involving
saline injections into muscle, stretches and heat therapy 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.
A Typical Treatment Session
A thorough physical examination should be performed, with a focus on the area
of pain and discomfort. The therapist should start by observing the patient's
movements and posture, looking for poor posture, muscle strain, pain that
increases guarding, and increased pain in other muscle groups. Trigger points
cause muscle shortening with secondary weakness and decreased range of motion
which can be observed. A musculoskeletal exam with strength testing and
relevant neurological assessment is often preformed.
To facilitate the identification of trigger points, the you should be as
relaxed as possible. Trigger points can be felt by palpating the muscles;
trigger points will consist of tender, hard (or ropy) knots or nodules
surrounded by what feels like normal muscle tissue. Once a trigger point has
been found, the local twitch response may be elicited as muscle or skin
twitching. You should feel sour or numb, but not knife-cut like pain when the
trigger point is pressed. The trigger points are usually between or beside the
bones and tendons or ligaments, on a depression, never on the bones or blood
vessels. Next, the patient should be evaluated for referred pain. Knowledge of
reference zones is essential to the diagnosis.
Trigger point is a pain-relief techniques to alleviate muscle spasms and
cramping. The therapist locates and deactivates `trigger points', which are
often tender areas where muscles have been damaged or acquired a re-occurring
spasm or `kink' that worsens painfully when aggravated. The major goals are to
reduce spasm inducing new blood flow into the affected area. The spasms are
partly maintained by nervous system feedback (pain-spasm-pain) cycle.
Spasms also physically reduce blood flow to the trigger point area
(ischemia), reducing oxygen supplied to the tissues and increasing the spasm.
Pressure is applied to trigger points, for a short time (between about 7 to 10
seconds per point), which can be momentarily painful but is greatly relieving.
It is common to hit the same trigger points several times during a session,
but you won't be leaning into a sore spot for several minutes. Often ice or
another cooling agent is used to reduce nervous system response, making the area
easier and more comfortable to work. Then the muscles are gently stretched to
complete the relaxation process.
The drawing below should be used only as a
general indication of possible locations for trigger points. People
vary greatly and gentle experimentation is the best route to developing a
map of your own tension points.Trigger Points - How they are created
Trigger points are clustered areas of pain in or around muscles that
usually radiate pain in a predictable pattern. When a muscle, or group of
muscles, incurs injury, it automatically contracts around the painful site
to support and protect the area. If pain is resolved quickly, the muscles
can relax. If pain persists, muscles can become habitually contracted.
Sometimes contractions press on nerves causing tingling, numbness, and more
pain. Like a sponge that is squeezed, a contracted muscle can’t hold much
blood. Blood transports oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and carries away
waste products. When a muscle is deprived of healthy circulation, it doesn’t
receive enough oxygen and nutrients, and waste products accumulate. This can
result in fatigue and soreness. It can also irritate nerves in the area,
causing pain to spread beyond the congested area.
Finding the Real Source of Pain
Most trigger points are easy to detect by locating the pain, applying
pressure and experiencing the subsequent release, however, in some cases,
the real source of pain may be an originating trigger point located quite a
distance from the "satellite" trigger point (pain site). For example, an
originating trigger point for the wrist, forearm and hand is frequently
located in the region of the shoulder blade. Thus, pain associated with the
wrist, forearm and hand may require treatment of both the originating
trigger point and the localized satellite point. The "Healthy
Body Ball , Pressure Pointer
and the BackNobber
all come with User’s Guides, containing more information on how to locate
the appropriate trigger points.
The Pain-Spasm-Pain Cycle
The "pain-spasm-pain" cycle is a complete chain of events, which is
reinforced by each event in the cycle. Pain often begins with injury,
illness, inadequate stretching before sports or physical activities, or
overuse of a muscle. Each event, especially stress, can add to or even start
the cycle. The pain cycle involves these major events: pain, which leads to
muscle tension and pressure on nerves, causes reduced circulation and muscle
shortening. Reduced circulation and muscle shortening results in restricted
movement and causes trigger points to form. Trigger points cause more stress
and more pain. Any single event in the pain cycle can set off the complex
chain of events that ultimately leads back to pain. Treating trigger point
pain interrupts the pain-spasm- pain cycle without drugs or negative
side effects.
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| Sometimes, pain can be so severe, persistent or wide spread
that it requires radical medical intervention. In many cases, however, pain
management clinicians and medical researchers have found that trigger point
pain often responds to non-invasive, firm, physical pressure, deep in the
muscle tissue. In addition to Trigger Point Massage this treatment
approach may be referred to as "ischemic compression," "myofascial release"
"neuromuscular therapy," "acupressure", "myotherapy" and deep tissue massage
among many other terms. All of these and related disciplines typically
involve deep, sustained pressure directly on trigger points. Such pressure
usually causes the muscle to relax, making it possible to stretch and
eventually exercise back to pain-free fitness and health. We have complied a
lot more information related to Trigger Point massage under
Acupressure Massage
Trigger points are not visible with traditional medical testing such as
MRI or X-ray. 80 % of the trigger point locations are common with
acupuncture treatment locations. When trigger points are not treated, they
will create satellite trigger points in the affected area. For instance, a
trigger point in the trapezius may cause a trigger point to appear in the
temple. The trigger point in the temple then may cause a trigger point to
appear in the jaw. And, voilà ! - a case of TMJ. |
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Learn about Acupressure
A closely related massage technique that evolved from eastern practices and
theory is Acupressure Massage Therapy.
Deep muscle therapy tools allow both patient and care givers
to apply the same kind of pressure to painful muscles as a regular part of
everyday self-care. Our tools can effectively supplement professional
therapeutic care for relieving muscular pain, stiffness and dysfunction
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