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.
Trigger points usually occur up and down your body along the length of 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.
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.
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 CreatedTrigger 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 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.
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.
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.
How To Choose A Trigger Point Therapist
First and foremost, always look for a Certified Massage Therapist. Because Trigger Point Therapy involves touch, be sure to find a practitioner you feel comfortable with. A word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend or coworker may be the best place to start. Having a short phone conversation with the therapist before you go for a visit can help you find out whether you could work together comfortably.
PRICE: $65.00 + tax
Buy A Treatment As A Gift To Yourself Or For A Loved One. For Scheduling Call: (651)486-0525
Clinic Hours:
Monday Through Friday, 9am - 6pm
Saturdays, 8am - 1pm
Sundays, Closed