Trigger point therapy is a soft tissue treatment that helps to relax tight and painful knots in the muscles and fascia (network of connective tissue). This type of therapy can include sustained pressure, posture and movement correction, electrical stimulation, dry needling, and massage. Both are terms used to describe therapies that relax muscles through activation points and relieve pain. When symptomatic trigger points are left untreated, surrounding muscles can become tense, resulting in more tension and overlapping pain patterns.
Yes, trigger point therapy can be painful, but only while pressure is applied to the sensitive area. Nitric oxide tells the body to open microcapillaries (extremely small blood vessels), increasing blood flow to help break the trigger point and end the cycle of pain, spasms, and pain. When you try to strengthen, or simply use, these affected activation point muscles to perform an activity that they do not perform because many fibers are already blocked in the contraction phase and the other fibers are tight and weak. There are three basic ways to relieve tissue trigger points: manual trigger point therapy, dry needling, and myofascial self-release.
This book is about how to use a theracane, tennis balls and the like to access and release the body's most common activation points. One thing is certain: participating in an active postural correction and exercise treatment program is better than passive treatments for trigger points. Most of the symptoms of trigger points reported by a person come from active trigger points, and often those dense, tight bands of muscle can compress and trap many types of nerves, causing a complex variety of symptoms. To find something that could work for my patients, I needed to use the limited trials that proved useful (such as the one mentioned above), in addition to a large amount of good scientific data that has been done on the trigger points themselves and the effects of various therapies.
One theory states that activation points are formed by the excessive release of a chemical called acetylcholine, which causes a sustained depolarization of muscle fibers, leading to a sustained contraction of muscle fibers. Approximately 74% of the trigger points are not in the same place where a person feels symptoms, so by knowing and understanding the reference patterns of pain, we physical therapists can find the primary source of pain. You feel better and tension is released in the muscle, but of course the trigger point is still there and will reactivate when it gets worse. Trigger point release is an effective way to reduce pain caused by tight muscles. It involves applying pressure to specific areas on your body known as activation points.
This pressure helps break up knots in your muscles that cause pain. It also increases blood flow to these areas which helps relax them. Trigger point release can be done manually or with tools such as a theracane or tennis ball. It's important to note that this type of therapy should be done in conjunction with an active postural correction and exercise program for best results. Trigger point release can be painful while pressure is being applied but it should not be unbearable.
Nitric oxide helps open microcapillaries which increases blood flow to help break up knots in your muscles. This helps end the cycle of pain, spasms, and pain associated with trigger points. Knowing where your activation points are located is key for successful treatment as 74% of them are not located where you feel symptoms. Trigger point release is an effective way to reduce pain caused by tight muscles. It involves applying pressure to specific areas on your body known as activation points.
Trigger point release can be done manually or with tools such as a theracane or tennis ball. It's important to note that this type of therapy should be done in conjunction with an active postural correction and exercise program for best results. Knowing where your activation points are located is key for successful treatment as 74% of them are not located where you feel symptoms.