Category: <span>Trigger Point Therapy</span>

Melbourne Wellness Professionals Reveal a Network of Triggers and Remedies to Common Aches.

There was a Readers’ Digest special feature back in the seventies or eighties which told the true tale of an office employee who suffered from constant ringing in his ears that was at times accompanied by headaches and nausea. He consulted different doctors who provided prescriptions which were all ineffective in ridding him of the discomforts he was feeling. Weeks turned into months, and months turned into a year, and the ringing grew worse; the pains he’d been feeling have also already extended to his lower back. He continued to seek medical help and one doctor told him that he was dying.

Not one to easily give up, he continued to find a solution to his health problem and finally found a doctor who looked beyond the symptoms he had and inspected him more closely. The doctor took note of the collar size of the button-up shirt the man was wearing and then provided the most credible explanation to the ringing in the ears and pains that the man had been suffering from — the size of the collar (which was always buttoned and stylishly reinforced by a necktie) of the shirt was too small; it restricted blood and air from properly flowing to the head, and put uncomfortable pressure on his spine. True enough, a change in the size of clothing eventually got rid of the ringing in the ears, headaches, neck and back pains, and nausea the man often felt.

Loose, comfortable clothing allow blood and oxygen to be transported properly to the brain and this remains to be one of the most overlooked solutions to relieving pain, Melbourne wellness professionals claim. Tight jeans, shirts, shoes and underwear are common culprits not only for pains but even disfigurement of body parts — have you seen Oprah’s feet?

Another often overlooked but effective remedy for pain is drinking water. Most people just think that it’s for health maintenance but some of the aches the body feels can be eased instantly by drinking more water. Water rids the body of harmful toxins that cause infection and inflammation; drinking water allows the body to flush out toxins and at the same time rehydrate cells for quick recovery. The rule of thumb when it comes to healthy consumption of water is to drink at least half your body weight in ounces; so if you weigh 127 to 130 pounds, you must drink 65 to 78 ounces of water. For back pains that hinder movement, drinking this much water or slightly more will provide moisture to the disk between every two vertebrae of the spine. The disk, which is filled with gelatinous substance called the nucleus pulposis, is the shock absorber between the bones and it is primarily water, so keeping it hydrated prevents friction between bones that cause “creaky” back pains.

It’s imperative to direct attention to ergonomics as well in relieving body aches. Chairs that are built for complete comfort are the best when you’re working long hours on a project for school or work. Those that recline and come with an adjustable desk (and massaging features) will prevent you from hunching over, which is perhaps one of the worst positions for your body. A hunched posture is deemed responsible for a variety of aches that stretch from the neck and radiate all the way to the calves and ankles. The base of the spine is most vulnerable with this position as it’s the centre of the body’s frame; therefore, providing it adequate support to keep it in a comfortable angle while working can ease those tension knots and maintain flexibility of the body.

Trigger point therapy can be used to remedy a variety of conditions including sports injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis, tendonitis and even neck and jaw pain and headaches. But apart from pain relief, trigger point therapy, Melbourne residents ought to know, offers plenty of other benefits including improved flexibility and circulation as well as reduction of stiffness and muscle tension. But what exactly are trigger points?

Put simply, trigger points are parts of muscles which are in a constant state of contraction. They are usually situated at the middle of muscle fibres and are characterised by the grouping of sarcomeres. Trigger points can cause people a great deal of pain. However, they cannot be easily detected. In addition to this, trigger points cause pain in another location of the body. Trigger points can also restrict a person’s range of motion and even his posture. Typically, they cause numbness, a tingling or burning sensation. In some instances, trigger points may cause dizziness.

Trigger points can be created by a variety of causes. This can range from direct trauma, repetitive movements and heavy exertion like lifting heavy objects improperly. Other causes include inadequate nutrition, stress, infections and even hormonal imbalance.

A trained and experienced trigger point therapist can confirm the presence of trigger points by applying pressure on a suspected area. If the pain that you regularly experience is replicated once this is done, then you actually have trigger points. Alternatively, the therapist can test your range of motion. The therapist will ask you to do specific postures, taking note of which positions you have limited range of motion in. He can also look into your medical history and see how past events could have contributed to the creation of trigger points.

In treating trigger points, your therapist will apply direct pressure on it. Afterwards, that muscle will be “re-trained” so that the pain will not come back. This is done through stretching and other techniques.

Note that trigger point massage is different from acupressure which operates upon the principle of activating specific areas in the body to boost the flow of energy and eliminate those that block its path. When a therapist works on a trigger point, he is looking for a particular area which causes pain in the patient.

Because trigger points can be deceptive, you should consider undergoing trigger point massage to remedy pain that has been nagging you for an extended period of time and has not been remedied by other forms of treatment.