The Healing Effects of Trigger Point Therapy

If you’re someone who struggles with pain and tension in your neck and back, trigger point therapy is for you. For years, massage therapists have targeted trigger points in the body to relieve pain and improve mobility. These tight areas in our bodies develop from chronic stress, poor posture, injuries and muscle overload, but many people don’t even notice they’re there until they start to cause pain. Luckily, trigger point therapy can decrease these symptoms until they disappear entirely, giving you your movement and life back. Find out how trigger point therapy works with this guide!

What Are Trigger Points?

Tension is one of the most common types of pain that people experience, and many times it’s due to sore trigger points in the body. Trigger points are nodes found on skeletal muscle tissue that resemble marbles or knots underneath the skin. When activated, these areas tense up and cause lumps and knots that direct pain to other parts of the body. There are an estimated 620 spots on the body that can form a trigger point when activated. Trigger points are typically only painful when pressed on and most go unnoticed until they are touched. When they are pushed, a shortening of the muscle fibers occurs which activates the sudden, extreme pain. Often, trigger points cause referred pain, where a trigger point in one area of the body causes pain in another, separate area. For example, an activated trigger point in your shoulder can cause pain up your neck and into your head, resulting in a headache. You may think that the pain originated in your head, but it really came from the trigger point in your shoulder. A compressed nerve in your back caused by an activated trigger point can cause numbness in your feet. That’s why it can be tricky to identify where your pain is coming from when there are so many trigger points in the body that could be at fault. But how do trigger points activate in the first place? Most trigger points don’t give us any cause for concern when they aren’t inflamed, but it’s good practice to know how you can damage trigger points so that you can put preventative measures in place.

How Trigger Points Develop In The Body

For trigger points to become painful, they first need to be activated or inflamed by something. Usually, certain medical conditions will cause these areas in the body to tense, which creates the knots that are painfully annoying to get rid of. Car accidents, chronic stress, sports injuries, poor posture, muscle overload and psychological disorders like PTSD and depression are some of the main reasons behind painful trigger points. Muscle knots can develop wherever there is muscle tissue, whether that be in your legs, arms, neck or back. However, injuries to certain areas of the body like the hamstrings, calf muscles, IT band, lower back and upper trapezius muscles are more likely to initiate a trigger point reaction than other areas of the body. There are certain physical illnesses that are the direct reason behind your pain but are still causing your trigger points to become inflamed. Some of these issues include arthritis, bulging discs, fibromyalgia, tendinitis, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis and sciatica, which are painful enough on their own. For your pain to dissipate or be eliminated entirely, these conditions will need to be addressed first, which will reduce the pain that your trigger points are causing you. For added relief, however, one of the best ways to treat trigger point pain is with trigger point therapy, which was designed specifically with this condition in mind. As you work with your doctor and massage therapist who will be performing the therapy, you will notice improved mobility and smaller knots in your body. This is one of the most effective treatments for reducing pain caused by inflamed trigger points.

Reduce Your Pain With Trigger Point Therapy

Trigger point therapy isn’t just one type of treatment but many different therapies combined to provide the most effective and long-lasting relief possible. These therapeutic programs are designed to improve flexibility, reduce inflammation and minimize the irritation that you feel on a day-to-day basis. One aspect of trigger point therapy involves myotherapy, which uses deep tissue massage to roll out the knots in your body. While intense, myotherapy is highly effective at breaking up the knots that your inflamed trigger points have caused. Additionally, many massage therapists use a TENS unit for electrostimulation to stimulate the body with small electrical impulses that help produce natural pain relievers. There are different types of vibration exercises that are also used during a trigger point therapy appointment to relax tense muscles, as well as assisted stretching to improve muscle tone. For patients with built-up scar tissue and damaged muscles, your massage therapist may recommend injections to break down these areas so your body can heal itself. While all of these options are available to you, consulting with your doctor and massage therapist about your needs and wants will determine which (and how many) treatments you receive. Always consult with your medical provider before engaging in any type of restorative treatment. He/she will understand your needs best and can advise you on which route will be most productive for your body.

Schedule A Trigger Point Therapy Visit With Us!

If you’ve had enough pain from the trigger points in your body, call Texas Spine & Sports Therapy Center at (512) 806-0015 to schedule a trigger point therapy session. While your pain may be coming from a variety of sources, we can help you identify changes that you need to make in your life so that you can be pain-free. Don’t let muscle tensions and knots prevent you from doing the things you love most-call today to start your journey to a happier, mobile life!