Treating Your Trigger Points

by Rich Poley©

“The key to treating trigger points is to lengthen the muscle fibers that are shortened by the trigger point mechanism.” Travell & Simons’ Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, Volume 2, page136.

Gentle stretching lengthens muscles and removes many latent trigger points; but not even the super heroes of stretching, yoga and Pilates, will get them all. Trigger point therapy, which can be a powerful extension of yoga and Pilates, will eliminate the most dangerous ones. This simple remedy can be incorporated into most fitness classes.

Finding
Because you have many trigger points, they’ll be easy to find. Just press different places on a muscle until you hit a tender spot. Trigger points are more likely to be found in the areas of your body that are stiff and tense. Your upper back is a good place to look. If you run, you’ll find trigger points in your leg muscles. If you swim or play tennis, you’ll find them in your shoulders. Almost everyone has them in the bottoms of their feet.

Releasing
Once you’ve located a trigger point, continue pressing it until the tenderness goes away. Pulsing or slightly changing the angle you’re pressing usually helps. Mild trigger points should resolve within five breaths. After releasing a trigger point, slowly move the muscle through its full range of motion three times. An extremely tender point may take more than one session to dissolve. Use a body marking pen to tag it and come back to it on succeeding days.

Relaxing
Relaxation facilitates stretching and is the secret to releasing trigger points. To relax a muscle, you must relieve it of its work load. Muscles perform two jobs: they stabilize and mobilize. If your muscles are working to stabilize you, they won’t be able to relax. To relieve your muscles of this burden, lie down, preferably on a yoga or Pilates mat. Here are some more tips to help you deactivate triggers:

• Warm your muscles with exercise, a shower, a hot tub, or by gliding your hands over them.
• Use a massage tool to extend your reach and power to press deeply with less effort.
• Let gravity do the work by placing the tool between the mat and your trigger point.
• Tensing a muscle before relaxing it, will identify the muscle and help it release.
• Straighten the muscle and direct your full attention toward feeling it let go.
• Breathe slowly and deeply into your abdomen, exhalation is relaxation.
• Relaxation is an active process.

Benefiting
Trigger point therapy will remove the knots from your muscles. To find out how much better you’ll feel and perform, try it. It’s the difference between yes and no.

Neck Massage: Don't Neglect Your Neck

Neck massage is one of the kindest things you can do for your body. I just posted a new neck massage video that I've been working on for the last few weeks. Working on this video, experimenting with different neck massage routines, was one of the most pleasant things I've done in the name of work in a long time. If you don't want to spend hours, days, and weeks looking for the best neck massage of all time just click and follow along: Neck Massage: Do It while You View It.
Thanks and let me know what you think.

Elbow & Lower Arm Massage

Every active person can benefit from massaging their lower arms and elbows once in awhile and depending on your sports and activities you may need it daily.

Check out our YouTube video: Elbow & Lower Arm Massage: Do It While You View It