Do you ever feel like your neck muscles are somehow creating a pounding headache behind your eyes or anywhere else in your head? Alternatively, after a prolonged time of sitting at a computer, does it seem like the tightness in your shoulders is causing numbness or pain down your arms, even into your hands?
If so, Trigger Point Therapy might be for you!
What Is Trigger Point Therapy?
Trigger Point Therapy is a manual therapy that uses the bodies own pain relieving mechanism. It uses targeted pressure points to bring blood and oxygen to the affected area to bring back proper function to the body.
What Are Trigger Points?
Known popularly as “muscle knots,” trigger points are small patches of tightly contracted, spasming muscle tissue. This small patch of knotted muscle can spasm so tightly that it cuts off its blood supply, which in turn, irritates it even more, creating a vicious cycle. When activated by pressure or overuse, trigger points cause pain in their immediate area or radiate pain to other parts of the body via nerves (i.e. “referred pain”)
Trigger points form as a result of muscular overload, which in turn, can come from a variety of sources. The most common are muscle overuse, repetitive stress, and overexertion, but trigger points can also arise as a result of physical trauma to a muscle, poor posture, and referred pain from other muscles. Other factors include nutritional problems, emotional factors, sleep problems, acute or chronic infections, organ dysfunction and disease, and other medical conditions.
According to Dr. Janet Travell, the leading pioneer in diagnosis and treatment of muscle pain, trigger points are a component of up to 93% of muscle pain seen in pain clinics and the sole cause of such pain up to 85% of the time.
How Can Trigger Point Therapy Help?
Trigger point therapy helps eliminate pain, relieve tension and increase circulation. It restores a better range of motion to the area and helps muscles regain full functionality.
Useful for treating many common muscular conditions and injuries, Trigger Point Therapy is especially useful for such conditions as:
- Sciatica
- Migraines
- Plantar fasciitis
- Rounded Shoulders
- Front Forward Head Posture
- Chronic pain in joints such as stiff neck and back
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Shin splints
Ultimately, Trigger Point Therapy is a rehabilitative therapy that provides quick, lasting results. At San Diego Medical Massage, we incorporate this powerful technique into every Medical Massage session due to its effectiveness in helping to relieve pain.
Experience the power of Trigger Point Therapy and BOOK YOUR MASSAGE appointment today!