ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Trigger Point Therapy - Techniques and Self Massage Tools

Updated on February 14, 2013

What is Trigger Point?

Trigger point refers to the tiny areas of muscle stiffness (can be smaller than a pinhead up to a pea size) that are the consequences of small contraction knots that progress in the tissue and muscle area when the body gets injured or is overworked. They can be discrete and hyperritable spots and "triggers" a throbbing response, hence the name.

However, trigger points is far from being a mere tender nodule as this can affect not just the muscle where it is located but at the same time, this can also cause a "referred pain" in the nerves' supplied tissues. Aside from muscle pain, they can also manifest in other forms such as tension headache, tinnitus, back pain and decrease motion in the limbs.

Image courtesy of sixninepixels FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What are Some Forms of Trigger Point Therapy

Trigger points that develop in the muscles are painful upon compression and can influence tenderness ans pain to other areas of the body. They can contribute to an over all variety of painful conditions and can cause muscles to be weak and tight. There are several therapy and treatments available in order to alleviate this condition. This includes self help with the use of a workbook and trigger point therapy tools and working with a professional therapist.

Trigger point therapy comes in different forms and some of the options available are discussed below:

#1 Trigger Point Therapy Tools

TriggerPoint 13" Multi-Density Foam Roller - Relieves Muscles, Improves Mobility
TriggerPoint 13" Multi-Density Foam Roller - Relieves Muscles, Improves Mobility
Foam rollers are long cylinders made from foam, commonly having a length of 3” and diameter of 6”. The user’s body weight is being used in order to provide the pressure when you lie or sit on the roller. Rolling the muscles along this foam roller will break up the adhesions that are formed in the muscles, similar with what massage can do. Using foam roller in trigger point therapy will send signals to the brain in order to start the myofascial release process at worked on trigger points, which will then cause the body to slowly start removing the muscle knots. When done regularly, healthy muscles can possibly be restored and sustained.
 

Body Back Buddy & Mini-BBB Self Massage Tool Duo: Trigger Point ReliefCHECK PRICE

Trigger Point Performance Self Myofascial Release and Deep Tissue Massage Starter SetCHECK PRICE

Neck King - Hands-free Trigger Point Self Massage Tool for the Neck and BackCHECK PRICE


Travell and Simons' Trigger Point Flip ChartsCHECK PRICE

Trigger Points of Pain: Wall Charts (Set of 2)CHECK PRICE

Trigger Point Chart Set: Torso and ExtremitiesCHECK PRICE


Top Rated Self Help Books - Workbook that targets specific areas of the body

# 3 Massage Therapy

Trigger point therapy using massage is particularly designed in order to lessen the pain source through the use of various cycles of isolated release and pressure. For this kind of massage, the recipient will participate actively by deep breathing and determining the exact spot and intensity of discomfort. The benefits and results of trigger point massage therapy focus on releasing the muscles' constricted areas in order to reduce the pain. In a single treatment, one can already experience a remarkable pain reduction. Undergoing massage regularly will naturally help in managing stress and pain brought by chronic injuries.

Body Back Buddy Trigger Point MassagerCHECK PRICE

Gurin Massage RollerCHECK PRICE

Body Back Buddy Classic Trigger Point Massager - Pain Relief Self Massage Tool - The Best Self Massage Tool CHECK PRICE


# 4 Centers that offer therapy/treatment

Therapy or treatment for trigger points is now being offered. Some of the methods that can be used by therapists include myotherapy, pulsed ultrasound, mechanical vibration, dry needling, ischemic compression, electrostimulation, stretching techniques, Low Level Laser therapy, and "spray-and-stretch."

Trigger Point Performance Cold Roller: Foam Roller Alternative for Myofascial Release and Cold Compression RecoveryCHECK PRICE

Trigger Point Performance The Grid Revolutionary Foam Roller with SMRT-CORE Level 1 DVD CHECK PRICE

PB Elite Molded Foam Roller CHECK PRICE


# 5 Injection

Dry needling or injections with no anesthetics and injections that include saline, the local anesthetics like steroids, botulinum toxin, and procaine hydrochloride can provide more instant relief, becoming more efficient when the rest of the methods fail.

How Muscles Develop Trigger Points

As far as trigger points are concerned, no man is spared because practically all muscles might develop trigger points. The primary factors that can activate trigger points include persistent muscular strain, overuse or contraction (physical or emotional cause); adverse conditions of the environment (heat, damp, cold); trauma; febrile illness; prolonged immobility; and systemic biochemical imbalance which can be nutritional or imbalance.

The secondary factors that can cause muscles to develop trigger points include infections; food allergies and others; nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron, B-complex, and C; hormonal imbalance especially thyroid; and low tissue oxygenation. The compensating antagonist and synergist muscles to the ones that house the triggers might develop triggers as well.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)