Massage and Trigger Points
by Don Foote, massage therapist extraordinaire
Trigger points are palpable nodules within tight bands of muscle fibres (contracted “knots”). They are generally created when muscles are stressed or damaged through injury, e.g. repetitive strain, sports injury or work injury.
Trigger points are an extremely common cause of pain and discomfort. They are acutely tender when palpated and refer pain to other areas in the body. For instance, you may have a pain in the neck or headache, which may been caused by an active trigger point in a muscle in your upper back. By locating and actively working this trigger point or trigger points, we reset the message from muscle to brain and restore normal function to the muscle which in turn alleviates the referred pain to neck and head.
These trigger points are located throughout the body and the most common ones have been mapped. Some of the effects of active trigger points are:
Back pain
Headaches
Neck pain
Shoulder pain
Jaw pain
Tennis elbow
Carpal tunnel
Arm and hand pain
Pelvic pain
Hip pain
Leg pain…. to name a few.
If you are suffering from any of these conditions or have something different come in and try trigger point therapy. Generally Don combines a few modalities for a more holistic treatment.
Invest in your health and happiness, call Don on 6550 1223!