Trigger Point Massage Therapy

Trigger point massage therapy is a way to relieve the pain or discomfort caused by active trigger points.

What's a Trigger Point?

If you apply pressure to a point on your body and you feel pain or sensation someplace else, you have discovered a trigger point. A trigger point is a tiny area of irritation in a stressed muscle that often feels like a taut band or hard nodule. Trigger points refer pain, weakness, or numbness to either surrounding or distant areas of muscle tissue.

For example, trigger points in the abdominal muscles can cause back pain. Trigger points in the trapezius can cause headaches. Elbow pain can be caused by a trigger point in your shoulder, forearm muscles, or triceps. Trigger points in the quads can make your knees hurt.

If you have pain that is not being resolved by treating the location of the pain, looking for trigger points is a good idea. Active trigger points cause discomfort. Latent trigger points wait silently in the muscle for a future stress to activate them.

Causes of trigger points are trauma, exposure to cold or infection, overuse, misalignment, or chronically tight muscles.

Massage for Trigger Points

One way to diffuse a trigger point is trigger point massage therapy using static compression. One technique is to apply pressure for 10 seconds - release - apply pressure for 10 more seconds in a pumping action while the client breathes deeply.

This technique is not relaxing and requires that the client communicate the presence and intensity of pain and discomfort. Several treatments may be needed to relieve chronic trigger points.

The definitive trigger point reference for healthcare practitioners is Travell & Simons' Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, but a more accessible guide is Trigger Point Therapy for Myofascial Pain: The Practice of Informed Touch.

Self Massage for Trigger Points

You can also massage your own trigger points. A great reference is The Trigger Point Massage Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief.

To avoid overworking your hands, you can use trigger point tools.