Trigger point therapy:
Trigger point therapy can be an incredible asset in the comprehsive approach to healing a muscle.
What is it?
When I muscle gets overused the nerve endings that feed into muscle fibers change in signal and created “knots” or trigger points as a means of better protecting the muscle from undue stress.
Where do they come from?
Poor posture– Poor posture can lead to certain muscle to take on undue stress. The body compensates with trigger points. While checking your posture in our detailed new patient exam we map out trigger points for a game plan of treatment.
Poor muscle function– Tight muscles and trigger points often come from weak muscles that work hand in hand with the muscle that is injured. If the gluteal is not working properly for instance the muscle in the back called the Quadratus Lumborum can develop trigger points. A comprehensive approach is not only doing therapy on the muscle but also teaching how to get the gluteal to work again with exercise instruction.
Breathing, Stress, Diet: Many today have poor breathing rhythyms and patterns. Because of our sedentary society many cannot properly use their diaghragm to breathe. This creates overuse trigger points in the neck and shoulders as they work harder to move the ribs to allow oxygen into the body, compensating for the prime muscle: the diaphragm.
An inflammatory diet has also been noted by the doctor at Mountain Movement to be a contributing factor.
Trauma: Whiplash and slips and falls can create trigger point patterns seemingly overnight.
Did you know?
Trigger points can refer pain similar to nerve impingement? If your pain that is traveling into your face or head, or into your arm or leg is ill defined it could be linked to muscle spasm and trigger points.
We have found many patients get sciatica relief by addressing the piriformis and QL muscle trigger points.
How we Treat them?
Percussion therapy: Percussion therapy is a great adjunct as the percussive device brings a rapid series of signals to the nerves embedded in the trigger point. With new blood flow and the inhibitory effect of the percussion tool, it has been very effective to get the trigger point to release.
Proprioceptive Neurmuscular Education:
Treating a muscle by lengthening it through a series of contractions and relaxations. This can “reboot” the muscle and its shortened and trigger point filled current state.
MyoFascial Release:
See our page HERE. The dynamic motion of MyoFascial Release can be a great adjunct for retraining the nerve signals causing trigger points.
Chiropractic:
Get joint motion where it has been lost changes the nerve signals from the joint capsule to the muscles that are associated with that joint level. Balancing joint motion can be integral for getting trigger points to release.
Corrective Exercise:
Getting muscles to fire in the proper sequence can help solve chronic pain and trigger points in muscle. If the scapular muscles get stronger, the trigger points in the trapezius or “traps” often diminish greatly.
See more about our Functional Exam to see what a first visit it like
Claim your Free Consult to see if your case is a candidate for Trigger Point therapy
