What is a Trigger Point?

Specific Regions on the Body are More Susceptible to Muscle Tension

Nov 1, 2009 Victoria Rodriguez-Baziuk

A trigger point can often be a very painful experience accompanied by muscle spasms, intense pain and limited mobility in joints and muscles.

There are many different types of massage that a person can choose from to relieve achy tense muscles, but one particular massage that focuses on trigger point therapy is deep tissue massage. This therapy uses different types of techniques along with varying amounts of pressure to give the person relief from pain that accumulates in specific regions on the body. By using trigger point massage techniques, a person can feel refreshed and the movement and mobility of muscles can be returned to normal.

Definition of a Trigger Point and Causes

Trigger points, according to David J. Alvarez D.O., and Pamela G. Rockwell, D.O., from University of Michigan Medical school in Anne Arbor Michigan, are locations on the body that are located in a band of skeletal muscles. Factors such as acute trauma or microtrauma may cause stress on muscle fibers.

What are the Symptoms?

People who have decreased motion in certain muscles, persistent pain and are unable to maintain good posture in the neck, shoulders and pelvic region may need trigger point therapy. Some of the other health ailments that people may experience include tension headaches, joint pain and decreased range of motion on the legs as well as lower back back (Alvarez & Rockwell).

By incorporating a deep tissue massage where trigger point therapy is incorporated, a person can be relieved of pain on specific regions on the body. This helps the body feel rejuvenated, the muscles will feel more relaxed and the range of motion of the muscle will return to normal.

According to the magazine Massage and Bodywork, in an article written by Clair Davies, titled "Trigger Points," trigger points can also be associated with feelings of "numbness, tingling, burning, swelling, hypersensitivity, muscle weakness, joint stiffness and a wide variety of autonomic symptoms."

Whose at Risk For Developing Painful Trigger Points?

People who have jobs where they use the same muscles and joints repetitively throughout the day are at risk of this type of muscle tension. That is why it is essential to drink a lot of water, exercise and stretch so these muscles can release tension within them. By doing these simple exercises, muscle tension can be relieved and toxins can be released on their own.

Sometimes even when some of these exercises are practiced, some people still need the additional help that is provided by trigger point therapy. It is a great supplemental therapy that can help when muscles feel tense and over worked.

Using trigger point therapy during deep tissue massage can give a person relief from persistent pain and tight muscles and renew flexibility in the muscles and joints. It can also help with renewing good posture and eliminating toxins within the body.

The copyright of the article What is a Trigger Point? in Massage Therapy is owned by Victoria Rodriguez-Baziuk. Permission to republish What is a Trigger Point? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Trigger Point Therapy Relieves Tight Muscles

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