About The Body.
Muscles account for more that 60% of the human body
mass, making up the largest part of our bodies. They are
responsible for all movement of the human body. With such an
enormous responsibility, it is easy to see how muscles can be
subjected to wear and tear, fatigue, overuse, and injury.
When we want to move or use our muscles, the
muscle contracts, and this is typically a voluntary action.
However, sometimes the muscles contract involuntarily, which we
call a spasm. Muscles are also subject to another condition,
known as a Trigger Point, which is essentially an involuntary
contraction of only a small portion of the muscle, creating pain
and dysfunction within the muscle. One of the reasons that
prescription muscle relaxants are ineffective on Trigger Points
is that the medication would have to be strong enough to stop
all involuntary muscle contractions...one incredibly important
involuntary muscle, your heart, might not agree with this!
Trigger Points have been studied and shown to be
the most common cause of musculoskeletal pain. Pain clinic
doctors have found that
Trigger Points are the main source of pain nearly 75% of the
time! Trigger Points cause the muscle to remain
tight, which weakens the muscle and puts stress on the points
where the muscles attach to the bones as well. This often leads
to pain in nearby tissues.
A unique feature that distinguishes Trigger
Points from other muscle pain is that Trigger Points almost
always refer pain to other areas of the body. This is why many
treatments are ineffective. Most treatments assume that the area
of pain should also be the source of pain, yet the actual cause
could be in a completely different location. Trigger Points and
their referred pain can be associated with many conditions, and
may even cause some of them!
You can learn how to control your
musculoskeletal pain by treating Trigger Points yourself, saving
yourself from multiple, costly, professional office visits!
Treat The Pain.
To treat Trigger Points, sometimes firm pressure must be
applied to the Trigger Point for long periods of time, some
shiatsu techniques say 1 to 3 minutes of firm pressure then
repeat! Trigger Point therapy can reduce
pain, increase movement, and allows the muscles to lengthen and
become stronger again. Light
pressure is not effective for treating Trigger Points, and in
fact may increase spasms as the muscle tries to protect itself,
leading to increased and more constant pain. In
contrast, moderate to heavy pressure applied to a Trigger Point
causes the pain to initially increase, but then as the muscle
relaxes the pain will fade.
Pressure should be applied slowly and released
slowly for best results. The pressure should be maintained until
there is a change in pain. If there is no decrease in pain after
one minute, stop the pressure - this is probably not a Trigger
Point! While, or after applying pressure to Trigger Points, the
relaxed muscle should be stretched for more effective treatment.
Either way, if the muscles are not returned to normal length,
there is a greater likelihood the Trigger Points will reoccur.
How Do Trigger Points
Cause Pain and Other Symptoms?
In 1999, David Simons, M.D., discovered that a
Trigger Point is a dysfunction that occurs at the point where a
nerve enters a muscle. Trigger Points result in muscles which
have been traumatized by accidents, injuries, occupational
stress, and overuse. Once a
Trigger Point develops, it can remain for life unless properly
The Trigger Point restricts motion of the
muscles and decreases circulation, depriving the muscle of
nutrients and oxygen and resulting in a collection of metabolic
waste that cannot be properly filtered away. These wastes excite
pain nerve endings and can also damage them. The decrease of
nutrients to the muscle increases spasm and inflammation. Pain
is now being caused by mechanical (pressure) and chemical (waste
product) stimulation. This nasty cycle continues until treatment
Referred pain occurs somewhat mysteriously. Pain
signals in the body that come from several sources are known t