Trigger Point
Are you wondering if you should go with Trigger Point Massage for your session? Here's some info so you can decide.
Application of Swedish Massage
Trigger point massage is a technique that centers around releasing "knots" or hardened, fused, muscle tissue. You've likely heard about "working out knots" before. The basic technique is to apply specific levels of pointed pressure to the knot. After repeated pointing, or prolonged pointing (whatever that particular knot needs) its trigger is found and it's able to release itself.
Some knots take a lot of pressure, but many of them just need something consistent and firm, but not necessarily a full force point.
Surprisingly, many knots only need a subtle amount of pressure to release and come back to a state of harmony in your body.
After the point has been triggered, so to speak, I then proceed to stretch and gently move the entire area so that the tissue that was knotted up can find its way back into the integrated whole of the muscle, connective tissue, and fascia.
How does Trigger Point Massage work?
A trigger point is can be thought of as a spot or point in muscle tissue that has been overloaded or incorrectly loaded once or a thousand times. This causes the muscle tissue to contract and tighten on a tiny, tiny level (doesn't sound very fun). Eventually these tiny contractions create a knot in the muscle tissue that is sustained and stuck. At this point, it's very difficult for the knot to actually resolve itself on its own. Thus enters the practice of trigger point massage therapy, where applied pressure is given to the trigger point until it releases!
Benefits of Trigger Point Massage
Trigger point is helpful for releasing tension and symptoms that come from tension (like headaches and chronic pain). Trigger point massage is also great at restoring range of motion and posture (knotted muscle doesn't stretch and move like relaxed muscle). And overall, trigger point massage--like all massage--is great at pain relief, restoring energy, improving mood.
History of Trigger Point Massage
Dr. Janet Travell, MD (1901-1997), who was the rheumatologist to John F. Kennedy, was the first practitioner to introduce the term "myofascial trigger point." She worked with another doctor, Dr. David G. Simmons to create an understanding for myofascial pain and the idea of working with trigger points to heal and bring a therapeutic technique to said pain. Together they wrote a book called "Myofascial Pain and Dysfunctio: the trigger point manual" that was a genuine revolution in healing of the human body through manual massage therapy techniques. Their book was published in 1983.
Since then, trigger point massage has found its way deep into the therapy community and the common vernacular of every day people.
