Trigger point therapy is a bodywork technique that involves the applying of pressure to tender muscle tissue in order to relieve pain and dysfunction in other parts of the body. Sometimes massage and trigger point therapy are performed together. This type of therapy targets the sore, irritable, tight spots in muscles called trigger points. These trigger points can cause the whole muscle to be tight and painful, or even restrict movement in a joint. They can also "refer" pain to areas elsewhere in the body. In Trigger Point Therapy, the massage therapist carefully seeks out the trigger points in muscles and uses specific compression techniques which allow the trigger points to release.
The Trigger Point Therapy technique is often incorporated into most of my deep tissue sessions, as the need arises, or when you describe specific areas in which you want to relieve ongoing pain.
Trigger points are areas of tenderness in a muscle. There are two basic types of trigger points: active and latent.
ACTIVE ~
Active trigger points cause muscular pain and will refer pain and tenderness to
another area of the body when pressure is applied.
LATENT ~
Latent trigger points only exhibit pain when compressed, they do not refer pain
to other areas of the body. Latent trigger points are believed to be one of the
causes of stiff joints and restricted range of motion of old age.
Trigger points may be associated with myofascial pain syndromes or fibromyalgia. Trigger points are very common. They are also referred to as muscle knots.
Trigger points differ from acupressure points. Acupressure points are concentrations of energy or blockages of the body's energy pathways. Trigger points are physical phenomena that can be felt by touch.
The purpose of trigger point therapy is to eliminate pain and to re-educate the muscles into pain-free habits. After several treatments, the swelling and stiffness of neuromuscular pain is reduced, range of motion is increased, tension is relieved, and circulation, flexibility and coordination are improved.