Pain should not be ignored.  It is the body’s way of telling you that something is not right.  When pain persists, action should be taken to resolve the situation.  One option is trigger point massage.

Trigger Points

Muscles have trigger points all along the tissue.  These trigger points will become active as a result of physical or emotional stress or injury.  The muscle will tighten and its fibers will form “knots”.  If these nodules become sensitive, the individual will experience pain.

These tight areas can also radiate pain to other parts of the body.  They may manifest as sharp spasms or a dull ache.  These sore areas can often seem severe and can accumulate quickly around areas that have suffered some type of injury.  They are often associated with back and neck pain.

There are a number of methods to deal with trigger point pain.  One of them is for a massage therapist to use specific techniques.  As the therapist presses on the site, the muscle fibers will release any toxins that have accumulated.  

The therapist is trained to know where these trigger points are, how much pressure to apply, how long to hold the pressure, and the measures to take to begin the healing.  This is not a procedure that should be undertaken by an amateur.  See a professional therapist that has been educated and trained in the specifics of trigger point therapy.

Process

The therapist will start with a discussion about the area in question including 

  • How long it has been there
  • The degree of today’s pain or discomfort
  • The suspected incident that triggered the problem
  • Overall tolerance for pain

The first few sessions will be painful.  Because the therapist will need to probe deeply to find the source of the trigger, it may cause some additional discomfort.  However, if the individual is patient and follows the therapist’s instructions, after a day or so, the ache will dissipate.  Trigger point therapy can also be incorporated into your regular massage therapy.

Muscles store memories.  It is quite likely that the incident that activated the trigger point happened a while before, or it has accumulated over time as with stressful situations.  It may take a number of sessions to restore the muscle memory to a point before it became traumatized.

It is important to realize that trigger point therapy will help increase the rate of healing but it is not an overnight or perfect cure.  Studies show that it has approximately a 95% success in reducing the pain.  However, this may also mean ongoing treatments to retain the muscle memory.

If you are interested in more information about trigger point therapy, contact us at Motion Matters.  One of our professional staff will be happy to discuss your particular situation and schedule a time for you to come in for an assessment.  At that time you and we will both have a better understanding of the extent of the trauma and the duration of the treatments.