Trigger points are areas in a muscle that are sore and react to direct pressure, and are there to tell us that all is not well in that area.

There are two types of trigger points that include Active Trigger Points that cause muscular pain and cause “referred pain” to another area of the body when pressure is applied to them.

Then there are Latent Trigger Points that only hurt when pressure is applied.  They don’t refer pain to other areas.

Trigger Points are are also referred to as knots in the muscle and are quite common in people who lead active lives.

Trigger Points and Acupressure Points are different.

Acupressure points are blockages of the body’s energy pathways.

Trigger points are physical and an experienced therapist can feel them.

Western medicine is only beginning to understand the effects of active points stimulation.  It’s believed that stimulation of active points leads to an increase in the release of Endorphin, a natural body painkiller and muscle relaxant.

It’s possible that pain caused by Trigger Point activity may be the biggest cause of lost time in the workplace.

What do we do with them?
Trigger Point Therapy is a technique where a therapist uses direct pressure to sore muscle tissue to relieve pain in the body.  Massage and Trigger Point therapy are often performed together.

The purpose of trigger point therapy is to eliminate pain which enables us to get the muscles back to where they are supposed to be without it hurting so much.
Therapist locate and deactivate them using direct finger pressure.

Generally, muscles don’t like being moved to where they are supposed to be when they were content to be some place else.  When worked on, they probably will let you know it for a day or two, and if it took a while for the muscle into that fatigued condition, it will likely take more than one massage to make it behave.

However, when the pain is reduced, your range of motion will be enhanced, tensions eased, and your circulatory system cops a boost as well.

If you’re experiencing muscular aches and pains, call today and arrange an appointment for a Remedial Massage.  We’ll have you feeling better in no time.

They are often surprised to find it offers an effective alternative for treating problem muscles and joints normally considered the domain of modern medicine or other well-recognised forms of health care.

Over the past five to ten years there has been a huge increase in the number of well trained full time and part time professional massage therapists. As a result there are now many more patients who have experienced the benefits of massage by competent therapists and who are spreading the word.

The growing number of therapists reflects both the international trend back to natural therapies – particularly massage and naturopathy, and the local availability of high quality, professional, government-accredited training courses.

Part of the reason for the upsurge in massage popularity is that more and more, people want healing other than by drugs, surgery and other well accepted treatment techniques, some of which tend to drag on week after week for seemingly little result. I’ve known people on so many pills they should rattle.

But the main reason demand is growing is that massage works.

Aching muscles and joints and relaxation are the obvious candidates for massage. However, it also can be used to relieve various other problems caused directly or indirectly by postural imbalances, for example breathing difficulties or sluggishness of the immune system.

Massage heals by activating changes in the body – in the various muscles, organs and systems, but it also works on psychological and emotional levels.

Balance.

By bringing the body back into balance, including left/right and front/back muscles and stimulating the flow of blood, oxygen and lymph fluid to all parts of the body, it helps create an overall feeling of well-being.

This “feel good” result in turn makes people more energetic, more positive and more productive.

The main types of therapeutic massage are:

• Swedish (relaxation)
• Deep tissue (remedial)
• Sports (pre and post-competition), and…
• Lymphatic Drainage (gentle, for immune system and excess fluid removal)

Where muscle and joint aches and pains are the problem, competent remedial massage therapists look at the “big picture” of a problem. For example, if you complain of a sore back, the masseur would not only work that area, but also try to discover why it is sore.

Muscular or joint problems may be from an obvious injury or strain, or they could be from a combination of tight muscles elsewhere. Back pain, for example, might initially be caused by feet instability or they could even stem from something seemingly totally unrelated, like a jaw problem where clicking jaw or grinding teeth are symptoms.

It’s great to see a person leave in better condition than they were when they arrived. Apart from genuinely caring about their patients and taking the time to look at the big picture, masseurs have a number of other important reasons for wanting to ensure their patients receive the best possible treatment.

To see their patients return for follow-up or maintenance sessions or be recommended to others, masseurs need to demonstrate they are qualified and competent, provide effective treatments and relief, and offer top value for money.

Most massages last for at least an hour. This is not only exceptional value for the fee charged, but it gives the therapist time to look at the big picture and demonstrate there can be many contributing factors to the patient’s problems.

Patients who have had muscular aches and pains or range of movement limitations they put up with for years, fixed in just one session.

Often overlooked.

Although massage is one of the oldest forms of healing, with documented records dating back thousands of years, for decades it has been a misunderstood and neglected part of natural therapies. A few years back, it was reported in America that 80% of Doctors would have massage themselves but wouldn’t recommend them to their patients.

Now, genuine therapeutic massage has re-emerged as an integral part of overall health care. The more progressive medical practitioners realise that, for example, constipation can be cured with massage… and back pain is better treated with massage instead of anti-inflammatories. It has also become a vital element in preparation for elite sportspeople.

If you haven’t tried deep tissue massage therapy make a call today.  Arrange an appointment and experience the many benefits that deep tissue massage has to offer.  With any massage however, it’s advisable to wear comfortable underwear that’s not too tight.

Back pain could be caused simply by muscle imbalances or by more complex issues related to disc and vertebral, spinal cord, facet joint, ligament, vascular, dural, inflammation and spinal canal problems.

There are many aspects of back pain I know little about but I do know there are many people suffering occasional or ongoing back pain who would find a remedial massage is all they need to greatly relieve their problem.

If muscle-related problems are the cause, which is often the case, massage treatments are relatively simple but very effective.

Many people put up with ongoing back pain rather than seeking help because they assume surgery or constant use of pain killing drugs are the only ways to find relief, and they don’t want to be cut open or become addicted to drugs.

Surgery may be necessary as a last resort, but it is certainly worth trying one or a few non-invasive, drug free remedial massages first to see if they offer a solution.

Sometimes just talking to a qualified, competent therapist who can explain aspects you never even considered about the interaction and effect of a range of muscles and how they influence back pain brings mental relief in itself.

Even where the original cause of the pain can be traced to, say, disc problems from wear and tear or an accident or injury, muscular imbalances on the left/right and/or front/back of the body can significantly aggravate the situation and cause even more pain.

A remedial massage can usually bring significant relief.

If muscles on one side of the spine are tighter than the other, or tight muscles cause the hip to tilt forward, backward up upwards, they can put undue pressure on inter-vertebral discs and cause even more pain.

A competent masseur would seek to not only balance up the muscles as much as possible but also work on factors making the muscles uneven in the first place.

Tight hip flexor muscles across the front of the hips or weak abdominal muscles often are a significant contributor to lower back pain. Muscle tightness in the chest often leads to pain in the neck, shoulders and mid back.

If you have suffered regular back pain and haven’t done anything about it, or tried other methods without success, give remedial massage a shot. It might not be what you need or a total solution to the problem, but it could be.

A couple of years ago I had a patient (a taxi driver) who had put up with pain for years trying other types of treatments all of which failed. On his first visit he was wearing a brace when he arrived. He left with it tucked under his arm. A couple of sessions over a couple of weeks was all he needed.

The answer to your back problems could be closer than you think.

If you haven’t tried deep tissue massage therapy make a call today.  Arrange an appointment and experience the many benefits that deep tissue massage has to offer.  With any massage however, it’s advisable to wear comfortable underwear that’s not too tight.