Understanding trigger points ahead of your treatment

What are trigger points?

Ever noticed a tight, tender spot in your shoulders, neck or back that won’t go away? It could be a trigger point.

Most people refer to trigger points as ‘muscle knots’, but they aren't knots. A trigger point is a highly irritable, localised point of contraction within the muscle fibres.

Sometimes, they cause referred pain elsewhere in the body. For example, a trigger point in the upper back or shoulders can be responsible for headaches.

There are two main types of trigger point

• An active trigger point causing constant soreness.

• A latent trigger point, which only becomes painful when pressure is applied.

How do you get trigger points?

Trigger points can develop for lots of reasons:

• Stress

• Poor posture

• Repetitive movements

• Biomechanics

• Exercise

• Injury

• Poor nutrition

• Hydration

• Vitamin D and B12 deficiency

Treating trigger points

Once a trigger point has been located, your therapist applies firm pressure for up to 30 seconds. Ideally, there'll be a twitch response, followed by a feeling of release.

The pressure should never exceed 7 out of 10 on a pain scale (with 10 being the most) and if your tender spot is a trigger point, the pain should ease within a few seconds.

How trigger point therapy helps

Releasing trigger points reduces muscle tension, eases discomfort and improves mobility, seeing as tight muscles impact how your body moves. This is especially common in the shoulders, neck, hips and lower back, where tension builds up over time.

Book a deep tissue massage with trigger point therapy at Emily’s Massage Room in Wallingford

I'm now integrating trigger point therapy into my existing deep tissue treatments at no extra cost, as and when needed.

Book now