What is a Trigger Point?
Trigger points are involuntary tight tender spots in a contracted muscle. This creates pain and dysfunction within the muscle. They are in parts of the muscle where there is decreased circulation, increased muscle contraction, spasm and increased nerve sensitivity causing a sharp pain or a constant ache. They also can cause referred pain, or pain felt in other parts of the body.
What causes Trigger Points?
Trigger points develop from either stress, repetitive or overuse of a muscle, trauma or accident, structural imbalance, improper stretching or no stretching before physical activity. When a muscle is overused or injured a contraction develops and knots occur. These knots develop when individual muscle fibers are over-stimulated and unable to release their contracted state. This contraction reduces blood flow resulting in a diminished supply of oxygen and a build up of metabolic waste. The contracted muscle (trigger point) reacts by sending out signals of pain.
How it works/What is Trigger Point Therapy?
You can control, decrease or eliminate your muscle pain by treating trigger points yourself. When pressure is applied to the trigger point, the pain-spasm cycle is interrupted which helps stop the contraction making the pain go away.
How to effectively release trigger points:
To treat trigger points apply sustained pressure for a period long enough to release the muscle spasm, about 10-30 seconds to deactivate it, release and relax the muscle. This increases blood flow to the muscle normalizing it and bringing it back to a healthy state. This procedure is one of the most powerful yet simple ways to treat muscle pain and discomfort. We’ve created a free Trigger Point Chart, which includes Fybromyalgia treatment and reflexology information.
