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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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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 10, 2014 at 9:19pm

A follow up on this client.  Im not so optimistic now, but still optimistic.  I saw her for the second time. Her knee trigger points were back.  I deactivated the TPs again.  I got to thinking.  The massage room I treated her in was upstairs.  So I suggested to her that when she makes her next appointment, make sure its in a downstairs room.  I mean the worst thing for an injured knee is stair climbing.  Then she told me she goes up and down the stairs all day long in her house.  I asked her if there was any way she could avoid that.. She said no.  So there is a BIG perpetuating factor.   I will deactivate those trigger points each time she comes in for about four or five more sessions.  And if there is no improvement. Then I will tell her I cant help her.  I told that to her too.  But ya never know.  The TPs are gone when she leaves the spa.

Gordon J. Wallis said:

A new client, not too long ago, came in for a relaxation massage.  After she read one of my testimonials she told me that her

medial collateral ligament( MCL) is injured.  I asked her to tell me if she has seen or is seeing anyone else for that injury.  She told me that she went to an Orthopedic clinic for an examination. She got an MRI and everything.  The doctors could not find anything wrong with her knee and sent her to physical therapy.  I asked her if the MRI indicated any kind of ligament damage or tear.  She said the ligament was fine.  I asked her how long she went to physical therapy.  She told me twice a week for six weeks.  It cost her out of pocket $5,000.00 and the knee pain never went away.  I told her that the MDs had ruled out all the mean nasty injuries, and that the Physical therapists don't really know what they are doing when it comes to this type of thing, but I do.  They seem to know very little about muscle pain, and usually do the exact wrong kind of therapy.  I've seen this over and over and over again.  I palpated two tender trigger points on the anterior medial side of her knee.  Down graded those two trigger points in less then a minute. Goodness.  She is going to come in for a 15 minute follow up session. It might take two or three or four times before her problem is over. Just charging her $15 sense she got ripped off big time prior to accidently seeing me.   Not much of a problem from my perspective.  They were making her do strengthening exercises.  Worst thing to do for an injured muscle( check the attachment, You've seen it before).  Its like if you have a crack in the corner of your mouth.  The worst thing to do is stretch and work your mouth out.  Keep your mouth shut for a while and it will heal fast.  Its the same concept.  Its cellular damage in the muscle. 

Truth is often hidden....like a shadow...in darkness.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 10, 2014 at 9:32pm

A follow up on the client that saw a chiropractor for two years.  I've worked on her three times now.  This last session was only 25 minutes.  Wow.. She is a different person.  Calm , relaxed, no flinching and symptomatic free.  She sleeps at night. She till has some trigger points, but they are none symptomatic( latent).  She says she stands taller, relaxed, sleeps at night, and her hips don't hurt.
I did not expect such sudden dramatic results. That's way cool.  Her problem is over in only 2.5 hours. Compare that to two years with no improvement.  Hmm?
Gary W Addis, LMT said:

spelling? Not a problem.  I'm a pretty good speller (or was, when I was 50 years younger), but my typing is turrible, I often get ahead of myself typing faster than the mind can relay the message to the fgingers -- see what I mean?.

Great work today as usual, Gordon.

Gordon J. Wallis said:

Wow It was a very good day.  I was able to help all my clients in a dramtic way.  When I ask people what they need from this massage.  Most of the time I hear. Just to relax I guess.  Or just to relax.  After they read one of my testimonials, then they start telling me about where they hurt and a history of the hurt.  They were all new clients except for one.  She had a shoulder problem for years.  I only saw her one time, and she was pain free for the first time in years, but it only lasted three days.  The trigger point returned.  As can be expected.  This was only her second visit and she was very excited. That pain had been in there for a long time dispite a few years of other therapies.  It was one of  the paraspinals about the T4 level on the left side.   She left the spa pain free again.   Her problem should soon be over. Maybe four more visits? She brought her young teenage daughter that has a very definate scolliosis.  The daughter has had a very painful spot for years in her right side about the level of L3 on the lateral paraspinals.   That was a really sore spot on palpation for her.  She also had tender spots on both sides of her spine at the L5 level.   She left the spa pain free.  She was maybe 18.  She was amazed.. No pain.. Now Im sure it will come back in a couple days.  But if I deactivate that TP four five or six times.   It might be history.    Another client.. Gosh...has been seeing a chiropractor for two years with no improvement.  She was riddled with trigger points. At least 70.  The worst on her right side lumbar area.  She did not leave totally pain free. But she left noticably better.  And reschedualled.  It was a dramatic difference.. It was not like... I think I feel better... She did feel better.  She reschedualled.  All her trigger points vanished except her right lumbar ones.. Now she was very sensitive and flinched with the lightest of touch.  Like she was anticipating pain.  Ive seen people like her with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.  I may have to use some desensitizing techniques like I described earlier in this thread.  But I think? Her problem is almost over.  I will know after four sessions.   It was a good day for me.  The smiles on their faces alone.  They did not expect what they experienced.  I feel good.  PS- sorry for any mis spelled words.  I'm not very good at that.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 11, 2014 at 9:10pm

Wow.. 150 trigger points bit the dust today.  A lot to write  about.  But requires too much typing.  And Im lazy so.. I will keep it short.  Two migrainers came in today.  They came in with headaches, both left without.  All I did was deactivate trigger points.  Another client, a young healthy women that rides bike a lot.  She has pain from her knee down to her big toe.  She was told by an MD. that she has damaged a nerve from all her bikeing.  It was not nerve pain.  Nerve pain is rare.  Trigger point pain is not.  In the attachments below you will see her nerve pain.  Also a coment on trigger points you have seen before.

Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Maryshka on August 12, 2014 at 5:29am

Where did you get those cards seen in your attachments Gordon? Worth having...

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 12, 2014 at 1:05pm

FLASHCARDS for Palpation, Trigger Points, and Referral Patterns - JOSEPH E. MUSCOLINO.    I don't really use trigger point charts any more.  Maybe to show a client that their pain is muscular, and not nerve pain like they have been told.

Maryshka said:

Where did you get those cards seen in your attachments Gordon? Worth having...

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 18, 2014 at 9:50pm

One of my pain clients. I thought I wrote about her in here? But after scrolling through most of this post from the begining, I could not find her. She originally was seeing a chiropractor for shoulder pain. She saw him for weeks with no clinical improvement.. None. I saw her for the fifth time today. Last time I saw her was a month ago. The first time I saw her she had at least 20 trigger points, with a bias in her left shoulder. I palpated her entire body, she has no trigger points. She came in symptomatic free. Its over for her. She was happy. Big smile.. Truth remains hidden. Her smile was good to see. So many people are being ripped off. It was a trigger point day. With dramatic results. Too much to type about. But one young women was told she needs carpal tunnel surgery. No way. Its trigger points in her extensor muscles of her forarm. Without doubt. I did not ask her who told her she might need surgery. She was so worried about it. I taught her how to fix her self today. Truth remains hidden. I can tell nerve pain from muscle pain ins seconds. Seriously. Its easy. Simple. I don't know why health providers can't? One of my clients that was scheduled for carpal tunnle surgery was told that the surgery might not work( by the MDs). That means that they are operating on people that don't need the surgery. I really would like to meet the person that preforms carpal tunnel surgery that does not work all the time. So they can make sure that it works all the time. A five minute class, is all it would take. Goodness. Truth Does Remain HIDDEN..

Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on August 18, 2014 at 10:05pm

Scalenes or pec minor, or sometimes in the arm itself.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 18, 2014 at 10:22pm

Well in the case of the client today.  It was only the extensor muscles in her forearms.  From my experience, thats what it is most of the time.  I check everywhere.  But yea.  It can come from the front of the neck.  But I have not found that to be common.     But what is really not common is True Carpal Tunnel.  That is rare.   Trigger Points are not.

Gary W Addis, LMT said:

Scalenes or pec minor, or sometimes in the arm itself.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 18, 2014 at 10:38pm



Gordon J. Wallis said:

Well in the case of the client today.  It was only the extensor muscles in her forearms.  From my experience, thats what it is most of the time.  I check everywhere.  But yea.  It can come from the front of the neck.  But I have not found that to be common.     But what is really not common is True Carpal Tunnel.  That is rare.   Trigger Points are not.

Gary W Addis, LMT said:

Scalenes or pec minor, or sometimes in the arm itself.

Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on August 19, 2014 at 6:17am

The roof of the tunnel is retinaculum...connective tissue.  It cant' clamp down.  So operating on it is just plain criminal.  This is how I explain it to clients.

imagine a pipe that is used to guide nine ropes or cables and one thin, insulated electric wire; just to keep them together, pulling in same direction.  Now grab the electric wire and pull it hard, really stretch it out and tie it off-- it leaps to the top of the tube.  Now, if it cannot move freely (get out of the way when one of the other cords has to work), it will grate against the top of the tube and against other naturally loose cords: the nerve sheath will become inflamed and this will cause the pain of "carpal tunnel syndrome."



Gordon J. Wallis said:

Well in the case of the client today.  It was only the extensor muscles in her forearms.  From my experience, thats what it is most of the time.  I check everywhere.  But yea.  It can come from the front of the neck.  But I have not found that to be common.     But what is really not common is True Carpal Tunnel.  That is rare.   Trigger Points are not.

Gary W Addis, LMT said:

Scalenes or pec minor, or sometimes in the arm itself.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 22, 2014 at 9:52pm

Acupressure kills a trigger point in a second.  This is a real client,  and it was a real trigger point.  

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on August 23, 2014 at 9:38pm

   I saw the lady that was worried about carpal tunnel surgery.  When I first met her, I told her that she definately did not need

Surgery.   That she had myofacial pain syndrome, not carpal tunnel.  I told her to order this $20.00 electric masssager and massage her forearms with it at night anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes at a time. .  I told her that it might take a month,  but that her problem is over.  Well she has had this massager for a week.  And her carpal tunnel is  gone.. lol   Give me a break. lol.  I don't know???  But truth somehow remains hidden????  She fixed herself.. Truth remains hidden.   MYOFACIAL PAIN SYNDROME( trigger points in the forearm).

Gordon J. Wallis said:

Well in the case of the client today.  It was only the extensor muscles in her forearms.  From my experience, thats what it is most of the time.  I check everywhere.  But yea.  It can come from the front of the neck.  But I have not found that to be common.     But what is really not common is True Carpal Tunnel.  That is rare.   Trigger Points are not.

Gary W Addis, LMT said:

Scalenes or pec minor, or sometimes in the arm itself.

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