Trigger Points
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Trigger points
What Are Trigger Points:
Trigger points can be either latent or active. Latent means that
they are painful or tender when pushed on, while active means they are always
painful. Massage can help alleviate this, but there are many factors to
consider. Stress, overactive thinking, injuries, poor posture, lack of exercise,
repetitive movements, etc., can all lead to trigger points. So, massage can help,
but if you do not also reduce stress, improve your posture and avoid repetitive
motions........ the massage therapist will be fighting an uphill battle.
Treatment Plan:
It is suggested that you consider massage, but also include this with a stretching
regime, for example Yoga and Tai Chi. Tai Chi focuses very much on stretching and
opening up the body. Those who practice this seriously for a long time have little to no knots
(or at least fewer and fewer depending on the person and level of practice), as their bodies
become more and more childlike. The muscles, tendons and ligaments become softer and
more flexible, allowing more blood (and energy) flow. Also, their structure changes and their
bones take more of the force instead of the muscles.
How Are They Formed?
For instance, someone who has rounded shoulders, their upper body will often have many
trigger points (usually lower back and lower body also). These individuals' muscles are taking
much of the force when standing and sitting, and as a result their muscles will shorten and
become unhealthy often resulting in trigger points. Those without rounded shoulders rely
more on the bone structure to take the force and, therefore, the muscles are not working more
than they need to. Stress and overactive thoughts can lead to trigger points, as stress leads to
more tension in the body, tension leads to shortening of the muscles, etc. As you can see it
can be very complex.
Muscle knots
What Are Muscle Knots?
Muscle knots are abnormal areas within the muscle, which cause pain. The medical term for
the muscle knots is myofascial trigger points. We do not know everything about what they are.
When doctors have biopsied (cut a piece out of) muscle knots, some abnormal protein
deposits seem to be present. Some treating practitioners believe that there is excessive
connective tissue in these areas, but there is little evidence in the (unfortunately few) studies
that have been done to support the idea of excess connective tissue.
Why Muscle Knots Form
The knots form because the spasm keeps the muscle continuously "on". Normally, even when
doing heavy lifting, no muscle is working continuously. Instead, as the body moves in normal
activities, different muscles cycle on and off. The spasm makes the muscle work
continuously, around the clock. The muscles are not designed for this continuous work. After
some amount of time the muscle overloads and forms these knots. Treating spasm helps
reduce this problem. Spasm occurs after other kinds of injuries, but muscle knots only
become a problem when the source of the pain doesn't go away quickly. This happens most
often (but not only) with injuries to the neck and back.
How Are Muscle Knots Treated?
There are several methods to treat muscle knots: exercise is an important method to help with
the muscle knots. Often, exercise can be a supplement to massage therapy. Massage therapy
is a helpful treatment for muscle knots. Therapeutic massage of this type can be
uncomfortable when it is being done, but the patient is expected to feel better later.
Treatment in the category called "modality", eg., heat, cold, ultrasound, and electrical
stimulation, as applied by a physical therapist or chiropractor, can help with muscle knots.
Injections into the muscle knots, called trigger point injections, are another method of
treatment. Acupuncture can have an impact on these areas also.
Dochsa Recommends:
Aromatherapy Massage, Crystal Therapy, Indian Head Massage, Reiki and Swedish Massage
are all known to help reduce trigger points and treat the stress related symptoms that may
lead to them. This combined with a good exercise regime and good nutrition will reduce
trigger points forming.
Booking:
To book an appointment click here
Prices List:
Click Here
What Are Trigger Points:
Trigger points can be either latent or active. Latent means that
they are painful or tender when pushed on, while active means they are always
painful. Massage can help alleviate this, but there are many factors to
consider. Stress, overactive thinking, injuries, poor posture, lack of exercise,
repetitive movements, etc., can all lead to trigger points. So, massage can help,
but if you do not also reduce stress, improve your posture and avoid repetitive
motions........ the massage therapist will be fighting an uphill battle.
Treatment Plan:
It is suggested that you consider massage, but also include this with a stretching
regime, for example Yoga and Tai Chi. Tai Chi focuses very much on stretching and
opening up the body. Those who practice this seriously for a long time have little to no knots
(or at least fewer and fewer depending on the person and level of practice), as their bodies
become more and more childlike. The muscles, tendons and ligaments become softer and
more flexible, allowing more blood (and energy) flow. Also, their structure changes and their
bones take more of the force instead of the muscles.
How Are They Formed?
For instance, someone who has rounded shoulders, their upper body will often have many
trigger points (usually lower back and lower body also). These individuals' muscles are taking
much of the force when standing and sitting, and as a result their muscles will shorten and
become unhealthy often resulting in trigger points. Those without rounded shoulders rely
more on the bone structure to take the force and, therefore, the muscles are not working more
than they need to. Stress and overactive thoughts can lead to trigger points, as stress leads to
more tension in the body, tension leads to shortening of the muscles, etc. As you can see it
can be very complex.
Muscle knots
What Are Muscle Knots?
Muscle knots are abnormal areas within the muscle, which cause pain. The medical term for
the muscle knots is myofascial trigger points. We do not know everything about what they are.
When doctors have biopsied (cut a piece out of) muscle knots, some abnormal protein
deposits seem to be present. Some treating practitioners believe that there is excessive
connective tissue in these areas, but there is little evidence in the (unfortunately few) studies
that have been done to support the idea of excess connective tissue.
Why Muscle Knots Form
The knots form because the spasm keeps the muscle continuously "on". Normally, even when
doing heavy lifting, no muscle is working continuously. Instead, as the body moves in normal
activities, different muscles cycle on and off. The spasm makes the muscle work
continuously, around the clock. The muscles are not designed for this continuous work. After
some amount of time the muscle overloads and forms these knots. Treating spasm helps
reduce this problem. Spasm occurs after other kinds of injuries, but muscle knots only
become a problem when the source of the pain doesn't go away quickly. This happens most
often (but not only) with injuries to the neck and back.
How Are Muscle Knots Treated?
There are several methods to treat muscle knots: exercise is an important method to help with
the muscle knots. Often, exercise can be a supplement to massage therapy. Massage therapy
is a helpful treatment for muscle knots. Therapeutic massage of this type can be
uncomfortable when it is being done, but the patient is expected to feel better later.
Treatment in the category called "modality", eg., heat, cold, ultrasound, and electrical
stimulation, as applied by a physical therapist or chiropractor, can help with muscle knots.
Injections into the muscle knots, called trigger point injections, are another method of
treatment. Acupuncture can have an impact on these areas also.
Dochsa Recommends:
Aromatherapy Massage, Crystal Therapy, Indian Head Massage, Reiki and Swedish Massage
are all known to help reduce trigger points and treat the stress related symptoms that may
lead to them. This combined with a good exercise regime and good nutrition will reduce
trigger points forming.
Booking:
To book an appointment click here
Prices List:
Click Here
