The triggered area is not always the place that hurts!
The main sign of a trigger point is referred pain; meaning that trigger points usually send pain to another area on the body.

 

What is a Trigger Point?

Trigger points are not the same as the points used in acupressure which are know as pressure points. Trigger points are physical areas in the body that cause pain and can be felt by touch; they are also known as muscle knots. Active trigger points cause muscular pain and will refer pain to another area of the body. Latent trigger points only show pain when compressed, they do not refer pain to other areas of the body. Latent trigger points are believed to be one of the causes of stiff joints and restricted range of motion.

Benefits of Trigger Point Therapy

Trigger point therapy eliminates pain and teaches the muscles to develop pain-free habits. After several treatments, the swelling and stiffness of neuromuscular pain is reduced, range of motion is increased, tension is relieved, and circulation and flexibility are improved.

How to treat a trigger point

A qualified massage therapist can locate the trigger point, which may feel like a pea or knot, then treat it by pressing down firmly, using thumb and finger, for 30 seconds or more. Elbows are often used too as this gives a much deeper treatment. When pressure is applied to the correct point, the pain will temporarily increase, and then fade to release this pain.

From the therapists mouth…

In my own experience; as a sports massage therapist I have found trigger point therapy techniques to be invaluable to releasing tension and pain from various areas of the body. In particular, for lower back pain I use the trigger points around the gluteus muscles to release the referred pain in the lower back area. I have many clients such as office workers, mothers and sports people that need the tension released from these trigger points to relieve their back pain. This treatment has proved very successful for pain relief so I use it regularly in my massage treatments.

A common problem - Lower Back Pain

There are so many differing opinions about the cause of back pain often because that it is mostly referred pain. You may never find the real cause if you look for it only in the back muscles or the spine. The pain very often comes from trigger points in stomach muscles and also gluteus medius (buttock muscle) trigger point that is one of the most common causes of lower back pain.

Self Treatment – Example: Lower Back Pain

You can self treat lower back pain with massage of the buttock muscles using a tennis or golf ball against a wall. You can treat the whole gluteus muscle by moving the ball around on this point to release the tension and pain.

See this link for more information on trigger point therapy and tips to release referred pain; this one is on sciatica pain: http://www.triggerpointbook.com

Referred Pain

The problem is not always the place that hurts! Trigger point pain referral patterns in muscles have been located; for example: temple headaches are often caused by trigger points in the upper trapezius. So when a client complains of a headache, the therapist knows which points on which muscles cause this referred pain. When pressure is applied to the correct points, the pain will temporarily increase, and then fade to release this pain and tension.

Symptoms of Referred Pain

Trigger points can cause referred pain such as headaches, neck pain, low back pain, tennis elbow, and carpal tunnel syndrome. They can be the source of the pain in such joints as the shoulder, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle that is so often mistaken for arthritis, tendinitis, bursitis, or ligament injury.

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Resources;

Links to websites:

• http://www.triggerpointbook.com

Books to read:

• The trigger point therapy workbook: your self-treatment guide for pain relief - Clair Davies, David G. Simons, Amber Davies
• Sport & Remedial Massage Therapy Book – Mel Cash