What Is Trigger Point Therapy And How Does It Help?

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Are you experiencing pain or discomfort in a specific muscle? What about knots in certain muscles? When the pain in specific muscle areas radiate outwards, causing a general discomfort that cannot be ignored, it’s deemed a trigger point. Most patients call the pain annoying and, in some cases, debilitating. How does one remedy this pain? Trigger point therapy, a practice in which your physical therapist targets the affected muscle—where the “knots” in the muscle exist—and applies pressure, massaging the area.
In most cases, muscle injuries or overuse can cause pain in specific areas, which lead to trigger points. These trigger points are sensitive areas due to the pain. As this pain persists or even worsens, the terminology myofascial pain is commonly used to describe it. When trigger points advance to being called myofascial, muscle injury, stress, and anxiety can become risk factors moving forward for the individual.
Your physical therapist in Peoria will work with you remedy your muscle pain, applying trigger point therapy to remedy it. In most cases, deep, aching muscle pain; persisting muscle pain; tender knots or trigger points; or difficulty sleeping can be remedied over time.

What is Trigger Point Therapy?

Trigger point therapy is the specific identification of muscle pain, addressing the pain with intentional pressure, and massaging the area to reduce the pain. In some cases, a trigger point can cause pain in other areas of the body. For example, a point in the back may produce pain in the neck. This is called referral pain. The neck pain may then refer the pain to other parts of the body like your head or shoulder. The pain can range from dull to sharp.
A trigger point therapy session involves a massage that targets specific trigger points to alleviate pain with continuous isolated pressure and release cycles. As a patient receiving a trigger point massage, you will actively breathe deep and communicate with your physical therapist on where exactly the trigger point is located.

How Does It Help?

As you experience life, pain is an identifier to an issue with your body. It can be annoying or downright frustrating to be in pain. This is why Senara is here to help you.
Trigger point therapy will gradually release constricted or tightened muscles from their “knots.” This results in muscle relaxation and pain relief. Even after one treatment, you may experience extreme relief. However, if you have a chronic muscle tension due to stress, anxiety, or injury, you will need multiple sessions to gradually find relief. Nonetheless, therapy will help you naturally manage pain and stress, helping you protect yourself against chronic injuries.

Other Physical Therapy Suggestions

As you find relief from pain, you may find that your physical therapist also prescribes a therapy routine outside your trigger point sessions to help protect yourself from further injury. This routine can include activities like stretching, posture training, and heat application. Pair these activities with trigger point therapy, and you’ll be on your way back to a healthy body. Here are the three suggestions explained:

Stretching

An extremely important activity to be included when dealing with tightened or stressed muscles. Contracted muscles “bunch” up and need to be lengthened so blood can work to heal them. Also, gentle stretching will increase blood flow, which supplements the healing process of any afflicted muscles.

Posture Training

In many of our lives, we spend our day sitting or maintaining an unnatural position. This can result in tight or strained muscles. The result can be general discomfort or chronic pain. Your physical therapist may offer you posture training to better support your muscles and protect them from potential injury.

Choose To Live Life Well With Senara

A therapeutic massage can do wonders for trigger points and myofascial pain in muscles throughout the body. Muscle tension can be brought on by a number of causes like injury, overuse, or other health conditions. However, you don’t have to suffer much longer. When you choose to work with Senara, the physical therapy and chiropractic team will find a way for you to experience relief. Whether you’re feeling a general discomfort or experiencing dull/sharp pain, contact Senara Health and Healing Center & Spa in Peoria today!