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Massage
& Trigger Points
Neuromuscular (Myofascial
Release) is performed by Valerie DeLaune, LAc, author of
books on trigger point pain relief with 22 years of
experience. Some insurance
companies will pay for these services, including NEA Alaska
and Blue Cross.
What Are Trigger Points?
Trigger points are not the same as
acupuncture points.
Trigger points may refer pain both in the local area and/or to
other areas of the body, and the most common patterns have been
well documented and diagramed. These are called referral
patterns. Approximately half of the time, trigger points
are not located in the same place where you feel symptoms.
(For
more information on the physiology of trigger points, go to
Headache Book: What
Are Trigger Points?.)
How Does Massage Treat Trigger Points?
The practitioner will combine some
form of massage with locating and pressing on trigger
points, based on matching known referral patterns with where
you indicate you feel symptoms. They will also perform
myofascial release -- a combination of pressure and
medium or deep-tissue stroking on trigger points and muscles
affected by pain. This combination is called
neuromuscular massage. Your therapist may also teach
you self-help techniques including how to apply pressure to
trigger points, and stretches that will benefit the muscles
containing trigger points.
Trigger Points can be treated with a variety of techniques.
Trigger Point therapy is a protocol for determining
the location of trigger points based on your pain referral
patterns and other symptoms, and detecting and treating
perpetuating factors, and does not refer to a specific
technique.
Solving the Problem
Trigger Point diagnosis and treatment is methodical and analytical, kind of like detective work --
we use
the information you have given us to decide which muscles to search for active trigger
points, which are the ones that are causing symptoms even when they are not being pressed.
"Latent" trigger points can also cause symptoms and referral, but only
when pressed. We also aid you in identifying and eliminating the
factors that are causing your trigger points, which is
the most important factor in gaining long-term relief.
Please see triggerpointrelief.com for more
information about trigger points.
Neuromuscular Massage Can Help Treat:
Chronic pain, headaches, menstrual
cramps, intestinal problems, and other symptoms - may be symptoms of neuromuscular
dysfunction.
Injuries - may be
effectively treated, even in the acute stages. The sooner the muscle is treated, the
less chance there is of developing a chronic condition.
Tendinitis - is inflammation of a
tendon, which attaches the muscle to bone. A tight muscle is often the cause of
tendinitis.
Bursitis - is inflammation of the
bursa in the joint capsule. Sometimes due to trauma or overuse, the muscles crossing
the joint become tight, jamming the joint together and causing inflammation and pain.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - pain,
numbness, and tingling in the wrist is often caused by referred pain, as a result of tight
neck or chest muscles compressing nerves.
Sciatica - is often
due to tight muscles in the gluteal, low-back, or thigh areas compressing the sciatic
nerve, causing referred symptoms down the legs.
TMJ - grinding and clenching teeth
can cause a variety of symptoms, including tooth, head, neck, and face pain, and can wear
out the disc in the jaw joint. Self-work is easy to learn.
Sometimes complex chronic muscular pain and
tenderness will be diagnosed as fibromyalgia, myofascitis, muscular rheumatism,
arthritis, or some variation of those names. This usually indicates a body-wide
underlying factor such as a nutritional problem or an endocrine system imbalance.
We
will generally recommend Acupuncture, Naturopathy or Chiropractic in conjunction with
Neuromuscular Massage treatments in order to address the underlying
perpetuating factors. For
a list of symptoms that may be caused by trigger points, see:
http://triggerpointrelief.com/conditions.html . |
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