Basic concept of trigger point therapy?
Trigger point therapy is a neuromuscular therapy designed to speed up recovery from injury, correct muscular imbalances and relieve pain.
Your physiotherapist will stretch the muscle and then apply pressure to areas of muscle tightness or ‘knots’.
This helps to relive muscle tension and promote healing. Trigger Point Therapy is a form of Remedial Massage
Therapy in which direct pressure is applied to specified points on tender muscle tissue to bring about
reduction in muscle tension and pain relief.
What Activates a Trigger Point?
Each muscle has potential trigger points which can become activated by muscle overuse, inflammation, trauma,
electrolyte imbalances, infections and nerve pain.
These trigger points can cause pain over the muscle affected or refer pain and thus be felt in another area
of the body. Other trigger points are only felt when the muscle is directly palpated by the therapist.
How Can Trigger Point Therapy Help You?
Trigger Point Therapy is for almost everyone. Muscles with active trigger points are always weaker than normal muscles and unable to move through their full range of motion.
Often because they are unable to perform their normal function, other muscles are recruited to perform
the activity of the compromised muscle. These secondary muscles can go on to develop trigger points
themselves if the original muscle is not treated.
Why go for trigger point therapy ?
Inflammation occurs when a muscle is injured. The body recognises this and this causes pain which makes you
protect the muscle to prevent further damage. The pressure of trigger point therapy ‘reprograms’
the neuromuscular system so that pain decreases. This encourages the muscles to return to their
normal state. This promotes healing as the inflammation decreases and the individual experiences
reduced pain and tightness.
Where to utilise trigger point therapy?
Trigger point therapy can be beneficial for conditions including:
Muscle injury
Muscle tightness
Carpel tunnel syndrome
Repetitive strain injury.
