Trigger Point Therapy

A Trigger Point can feel like a tiny “knot” under your skin. These knots are a part of your skeletal muscle. They are most commonly located in certain points throughout the belly of the muscle tissue.

Trigger points can be passive where pressure only causes discomfort at the trigger point; they can also be active, which may cause pain to radiate from their location. This is known as referred pain. For example, if you apply pressure to an active trigger point in your neck, you may feel pain in your shoulder, chest, and back. Trigger points often restrict movement or limit your range of motion.

Treatment Expectations

Trigger Point Therapy is similar to Deep Tissue Massage where your Massage Therapist will work on the specific areas to loosen them up. When a trigger point is relieved, you should feel an immediate loosening of the area and a diminished sense of referral.

Trigger Point Therapy is only mildly uncomfortable during the actual release of the trigger points themselves. You should not expect trigger points to go away permanently but you can obtain significant relief from this treatment.

Benefits of Trigger Point Therapy

The benefits of Trigger Point Therapy include:

  • Your pain, both local and referred, will decrease.
  • You will have fewer muscle spasms that are common with Trigger Point issues.
  • You will experience better sleep due to less pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Trigger Points are a chronic condition and quite often are indicative of other chronic pain conditions. While you can experience a relief to the area, you will not necessarily be completely free of them.

Trigger Points are the result of muscle injuries such as strains, sprains or trauma. As a result of the injury, the muscles and soft tissue can become overstretched, and weakened. They can also become inflamed. The knots within the muscle tissue occurs during the healing stage following your injury.

If Trigger Points go untreated, the pain will continue to advance. Eventually, this will cause you pain whenever you move. The pain will get to the point where you move less which will cause your muscles to stiffen up even more.