Description
Duration: 45 minutes
Price: $150
Trigger Point Massage Therapy*
Trigger point massage therapy is a form of manual therapy that focuses on on detecting and releasing trigger points. Located in the skeletal muscle, trigger points are spots that produce pain when compressed. In many cases, trigger points form as a result of trauma to the muscle fibers. A trigger point is an area of hyper-irritability within soft tissue structures. It is characterized by local tenderness and sometimes referred phenomena. These referred sensations can include pain, tingling, numbness, burning or itching. Not all trigger points refer pain, some are just localized. Each person is different depending on his or her imbalances. Localized areas of deep tenderness and increased tissue resistance often produce referred pain. The origin of the trigger point is thought to be changes in the chemical balance in a local area, irritating the sensory systems.
A trigger point is an area of hyper-irritability within soft tissue structures. It is characterized by local tenderness and sometimes referred. These referred sensations can include pain, tingling, numbness, burning or itching. Some trigger points are just localized. After locating the trigger point or points, the therapist will use several different finger techniques of varying pressure on and around the points in order to break down the build-up of the knot. Depending on the size of the trigger point, it may take several visits to the therapist in order to be assured that the entire trigger point has been deactivated.
Active Trigger Points (ATPs):
Active trigger points cause immediate pain, prevent muscles from fully lengthening, and sometimes produces weakness.
Latent Trigger Points (LTPs):
These are unnoticed by the person until pressure is applied and are not actively painful. Usually, latent trigger points feel dense and fibrous.
- Pain Reduction: Highly effective at treating chronic myofascial pain by interrupting the pain cycle and releasing restricted, tight tissue.
- Referred Pain Relief: Deactivates trigger points to alleviate pain that radiates to other areas of the body (e.g., shoulder trigger points that cause tension headaches).
- Increased Mobility: Restores a full range of motion and joint flexibility by relaxing contracted muscle tissue.
- Stress and Tension Relief: Promotes relaxation by decreasing heart rate and lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
- Bleeding or Clotting Disorders: Conditions like hemophilia or taking blood-thinning medications (e.g., warfarin) make you highly susceptible to severe bruising or hematomas.
- Skin Lesions or Infections: Open wounds, rashes, or acute infections in the treatment area.
- Vascular Issues: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or severe lymphedema.
- Bone or Joint Issues: Osteoporosis, recent fractures, or advanced arthritis in the affected area.
- Headaches: A review of multiple randomized controlled trials found that trigger point deactivation—via massage, ischemic compression, or dry needling—significantly reduced the duration, intensity, and frequency of tension headaches.
- Low Back Pain: Studies indicate that trigger point interventions (including manual release and dry needling) are highly effective in reducing chronic low back pain, often outperforming basic stretching alone.
- Physiological Changes: Studies evaluating autonomic function show that trigger point massage significantly increases parasympathetic nervous system activity, lowering heart rate and promoting physical and emotional relaxation.
- Clinical Nuance: While trigger point management reliably improves pain thresholds and mobility, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) notes that clinical trigger point therapy is most successful when used as part of a comprehensive, multimodal strategy that includes stretching and strengthening exercises.
Characteristics and Nature of Trigger Points*:
Trigger points may be associated with a deficiency of Vitamin B6. Generally, after trauma or stressful conditions, trigger points mostly develop due to the body’s lack of B6, Magnesium, or Vitamin C. Trigger points may also develop due to underlying visceral disease, arthritic conditions, or some chronic diseases or autoimmune disorders.
Created by Michiel Akkerman.
Special Thanks to Michiel Akkerman for creating a wonderful animated video. Very informative and educational, this video is a short explanation and introduction to trigger points. Many health and pain problems, like frozen shoulder, chronic neck stiffness and migraine are related to trigger points. People can learn how to effectively treat trigger points themselves. I hope to show you in this video that trigger points are a fact, not a theory.
To learn more about all the specific trigger points and how to treat them I recommend “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook” by Clair Davies. This book also tells about causes of trigger points and more. For more advanced information about trigger points (requires basic knowledge) I recommend the book “Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction” by Travell & Simons. Please don’t mind my foreign accent.*