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A typical experience
I had a new client the other day for an 80 minute massage. I asked him if there is anything that he wanted me to know. He told me that he suffers from a herniated disc that he has had for a few years. He has constant low back and right hip pain that at times radiates down the back of his leg to his knee. He told me that he has had two injections in his low back and has to stay on anit- inflamtory medication. Anything to avoid surgery. The pain is always there. I asked him if he ever saw a chiropractor for his pain. He said yes. But the adjustments hurt his hip so bad that he could not continiue. So here is a guy that thinks he is on the verge of surgery. I knew that there was a very strong probubllity that was not the case. The vast majority of pain people experience is nocioceptive pain( soft tissue- muscle, tendon, ligament, facia). MDs and Chiropractors see pain as neuropathic pain( nerve pain). With that asumption they give the wrong treatments and therapies. Now there is no denying that at times injections and surgery is needed. Not denying that. But most of the time - NOT. 70% to 85% of all pain comes directly from trigger points. Anyway I showed my client a testimonial from a client that I was able to help out of a very painful condition that she had delt with for a couple of years. I showed him that testimonial because all pain has a psychological eliment too it. I wanted him to start thinking maybe he is not on the edge of surgery. I palpated his entire back upper torso, both hips, and right leg. I found a very painful spot on his right L5 erectors. Another very painful spot on his right greater trochantor. A painful spot in the middle part of his lower right hamstrings. And also a tender spot on the right spinous of L3. I knew that if Iwas able to eliminate all those painful palaptory spots that I would most likely eliminate his pain problem. Because a healthy body had no painful spots even with deep massage. Ive been hunting and eliminateing trigger points for thirty years now. He walked out of the massage room pain free. He was pain free for the first time in years. All those other professional people misdiagnosed him because they assume neuropathic pain over nocioceptive pain. I assume the other way around. I'm a Massage Therapist.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
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Well it happened. A trigger pointless day. Not one trigger point. That hasn't happened in a very long time.
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No. For me it is though.
K said:Are trigger points the primary technique for most RMTs here?
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Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on
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K, it's a virtual certainty that almost all people are walking around with at least one trigger point. If it isn't interfering too much with everyday activities, if it's not creating so much pain that the person can't function or achieve almost normal ROM, it'll be ignored by those who have never had a massage session... by those who don't know that the minor pain can be eliminated in a few minutes by a massage therapist educated in trigger point therapy techniques.
Unfortunately, the answer to your question, K, is that, No, trigger point therapy is not the primary technique of most registered/licensed massage therapists here or anywhere else. Few schools in the US provide a good education in trigger point therapies. In fact, most of our profession's acclaimed gurus seldom even mention the phrase "trigger point" in any of the seminars or training videos, books or magazine articles. An exception is Dr Joseph Muscolino, who has written several textbooks about locating and releasing trigger points. Trigger point therapy is also well known by the term "neuromuscular therapy (NMT).".
There's a variety of reasons that so many of our profession's expert CEU providers virtually ignore the presence of trigger points in the demo massages they give during their seminars. Inexpertly applied, gouging into a client's body in search of trigger points can be very painful for the client, and few are expert; more money is earned when treatments can be extended weeks or months, and trigger point therapy, again expertly applied, relieves a client's pain and restores ROM in one or two sessions.
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Permalink Reply by K on
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Thanks for the replies!
It really is too bad that more attention isn't given to effective techniques like trigger points.
I will definitely look into Muscolino. Any other massage related books you can recommend?
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In the attachment is a picture of a good book on the subject of trigger points.
K said:Thanks for the replies!
It really is too bad that more attention isn't given to effective techniques like trigger points.
I will definitely look into Muscolino. Any other massage related books you can recommend?
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Yes, the book Gordon brings to your attention is a very good place to begin your journey of discovery into trigger points. Another-- after you read the first one-- read and study Clair Davies' Trigger Point Therapy Workbook
https://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatmen....
When you can locate and release your own trigger points you'll be ready to learn on the bodies of volunteers (clients, family, neighbors). After you become consistently successful doing that, then come back to this discussion, and talk to Gordon to complete your education
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G.... not sure I wanna complete anyone's education. I am developing a unique system( for lack of a better word ) of Acupressure that's so far, proving to be efficient,reliable, and effective, when it comes to eliminating pain quickly. I'm thinking of calling it Holographic Acupressure. But it will be year or so before I'm ready to formally teach it, I think.
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I was referring to comments made here and demonstrations you've provided on youtbue videos.
After all, you built on my college education and guided my informal out-of-the-classroom education with comments made this forum thread by you and others and the amazing jpgs you attach to your comments.
Oh, you don't give anything away-- the disinterested and the lazy need not bother. But I paid attention and using forum comments such as this as starting points, I researched online, I read and watched free online videos, and I studied and restudied and committed relevant charts to memory.
As you've said many times, trigger point therapy ain't rocket science. But to become an exceptional practitioner who provides very real benefit to people in pain, therapists must expand their horizon, and think independently...never accepting anyone else's "facts" until they have been personally verified by each therapist to their own satisfaction (and the satisfaction of their clients) in the treatment room.
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When I asked her what she needed from her massage today. She told me just to relax. However, she made it very clear that I was not to apply pressure to her low back at all. Do to the fact that she has Spondyloisthese/Spondylolysis at the L5 level. She told me that, in a very finalized statement ( implying nothing can be done ). The MDs told her that it wasn't bad enough for surgery. She then went through a series of chiropractic treatments that didn't help. I asked her if the chiropractor adjusted her low back, she said yes. I then wasn't worried about hurting her because whatever I do would be far less violent then that. The chiropractor also told her that one hip was higher then the other. To me, all those diagnoses and things she told me, didn't necessarily validate her pain at all. I asked her if she ever heard of trigger points? No surprise to me, she said no.
I told her that I had a very advanced skill set and because of that, would soon be working with an Anesthesiologist in his pain management clinic. Her eyes kinda got big then. I told her that she would be pain free when she walks out of this room. And to be excited. And she was.
Now do I really know that she is going to be pain free at the end of the session? No, not really. But I was pretty sure (I've seen this scenario many times before). And now she was pretty sure as well. Now I've got my intent, my confidence, and her expectations all on one side.
I found two very noticeable trigger points on the left upper lumbar paraspinals. One Gluteus Medius trigger point on the left hip, two Gastrocnemius trigger points( one in each calf ). And one very tender lateral spinous at L5. I utilized my newly discovered Holographic Acupressure procedures, and all those trigger points vanished immediately. She also told me that she can't lay on her back because of the pain. But when she turned over on her back for the last half hour of her massage, nothing hurt.
After the massage she comented, with a smile, "My back doesn't hurt at all." - Attachments:
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A young women came in to see me, not to relax, but to find some relief for the pain she has been with for years. She has seen several doctors. Her main complaint was her oldest pain problem. Pain in the right mid back, that wakes her up at night. It hurts when she breaths. She also recently had a fall, a slip on the ice, and now has nausea and pain when tuning her head to either side.
I let her read a testimonial, and watch one of my videos, as I usually do. in order to boost her expectations, and enhance the placebo effect. I'm also very sure that her pain is from trigger points, usually is.
During my general assessment I found out that her right lower T spine and right upper lumbar spine was very tender. Both hips were tender. When I say tender, I mean flinching tender. Travel called it the jump sign. Her neck also had tender points, although not flinching ones. She has painful periods and felt somewhat nauseous, so I palpated her abdominal area and found two painful trigger points. One in her lower left quadrant, another in the lower right quadrant ( Illiocecal valve ). She had several very painful trigger points on her right mid back paraspinals( upper lumbar/lower T spine). Some on the very lateral edges of the paraspinals on the ribs, that hurt when inhaling. Both hips were trigger pointed. Tensor fascia latae on both hips. Gluteus Medius on both hips , and a trigger point on the Greater trochanter on the left. Her cervical spine had four trigger points totals. One being on the right occipital area at the skull level. Both Masseter muscles were trigger pointed. As a side note.. chronic pain people often have tender points in the abdominal and Masseter areas, that are usually never checked.
Anyway, all those trigger points deactivated. I used a lot of my newly discovered Holographic Acupressure techniques, that took them out in seconds. Here is the women's testimonial. People that denie the existence of trigger points? Those people puzzle me?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRQ8xP5Vh6s&sns=em - Attachments:
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It was an interesting day. Sort of stressful. All my fault. I stayed up way too late( reading/studying/video gaming ) and on top of that, didn't sleep very good. And as I'm sure most of you know, this job is not an easy one if you are sleepy. Especially if you work in a spa, with people coming in to relax. The lights are down low, and the music is soft lulling. I had three eighty minute massages scheduled. My biggest fear was three relaxation massages in a row.
Well it ended up, two of those three massages were relaxation massages. Even though I was sleepy, I must have done alright because I got really generous tips from those people. But one of the three massages, even though I was sleepy, woke me up.
A young healthy looking women came in strictly because she was in pain. She was late for her appointment, so I was sitting in the waiting area of the spa drinking coffee when she walked right up to me and apologized for being late. She somehow knew I was her massages therapist. She told me that she was hurting and was told by the front desk that maybe I could help her. I asked her where she hurt. She said all over, but what's hurting her the most is burning pain from the front of her hip down to her knee. She asked me if she needed to change into a robe, and I said no.
After we got into the room I found out that she has been hurting for a long time. She has been to chiropractors and physical therapists without getting better. The chiropractor was using magnets or something? I didn't quite understand the therapy she was talking about. But whatever it was, it didn't work. And the physical therapists had her exercising.
Anyway, she is still hurting. She got a massage last week because of her pain, but it was so painful and she hurt for two days after so bad that she could barely walk.
Her main complaint was this burning radiating pain down the front of her left leg. But when I started palpating and assessing, she was hurting everywhere. She could have easily come in with the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. It was that bad . My Holographic Acupressure that I'm developing is gentle. I use only medium to soft pressure at distal locations to turn the pain off. But even that was too much at times. I didn't notice that I was sleepy. It took all my concentration and skill set to work on her without hurting her in the process. It was all trigger points. A full body full of em. Once I figured that out I concentrated on her main complaint area. Burning pain down the front of her leg, from left hip to knee.
These were all jump sign trigger points that I eliminated .. Iliacus, Psoas, two really painful trigger points in her quads about a third of the way to her knee. Trigger points around her knee. Trigger point in her Tensor facpscaie latae , Gluteus Medius , around the sacrum and more. She also suffers headaches, neck pain. I did release some between the shoulder trigger points, and decided to stop after that. Her arm was getting sore because with my Holographic Acupressure techniques I often touch the arm for many of the release procedures.
So for her first session it ended up pretty good. She was really happy. Her arm was a little sore, but the burning pain down her leg was gone. And gone is good as far as pain goes. She rescheduled. It's going to be challenging, but it's trigger points all the way. I think I can help her. - Attachments:
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