Who are your clientel for triggerpoint work. Fibromyalgia, Thoracic Outlet syndrome, Migraine ect ect?

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Permalink Reply by janet niichel on October 12, 2009 at 3:14pm

I use trigger point work when I get a client who has a problem that won't go away I look for the referral in the appropriate muscles/muscles. I also look for posture related pain and then again check for TP's in the referred area. Janet

Permalink Reply by Jeff Sims on December 3, 2009 at 3:40am

aloha Stephen

i work in a chiropractor's office and work with pain and injury 95 percent of the time. today included tinnitus, adhesive capsulitis along with several myofascial pain syndromes. i think the holiday stresses activate many trigger points.

i studied with teachers from both NMT approaches (Paul St. John and Leon Chaitow/Judy Delany) -- mostly traditional trigger point massage techniques along with myofascial therapy, Muscle Energy Technique, and spray & stretch. (i practice occasional craniosacral, and a little lymph drainage therapy.)

here's a tip: i do most of my work with the client either supine or side-lying.

one of the clients today said she chose massage after a physician gave her a pain medication prescription; i'll see her next week to see how it went, but yes, there are cases when clients are able to reduce or eliminate pain killers and preventing if not postponing surgery.

Permalink Reply by Stephen Jeffrey on December 3, 2009 at 4:53pm

Hi Jayer at the recent www.worldmassageconference.com the triggerpoint presentations linked many problems to the scalenes (I find this too) Do you find yourself including these muscles more often than not?

Its rare to hear of MTs or triggerpoint therapy doing harm but I think this serves as a usefull reminder to be extra carefull when treating the scalenes.

http://www.amazon.com/tag/massage/forum/ref=cm_cd_cg_ef_tft_tp?_enc...

Regards steve

Permalink Reply by Larry Warnock on December 20, 2009 at 10:20pm

I have used trigger point therapy in my private practice for more than 30 years. I had the privilege of working with Dr. Travell and have studied them all my life. My practice is comprised primarily of athletes and people with chronic conditions.
Athletes benefit in two ways from trigger point therapy...as a preventive measure where, if you find the trigger as it is forming, you can help prevent the injury and as a rehab process...most soft tissue injuries to athletes are, in some way, caused by trigger points.

for chronic conditions, especially those that are diagnosed as "non-specific pain", triggers are probably the cause.

I enjoy a very good reputation and I believe it is because of my work with trigger points.

Permalink Reply by Martha C. Long on February 6, 2010 at 4:26pm

Many of my clients for fibro, TOS Migraine and trigger point work come from the clinic i work in. Which is an outpatient physical therapy clinic. I am also a Physical therapist assistant as well as a Massage therapist. After our patients are discharged from therapy .. I see them on a regular basis as a massage therapist to keep up the therapy long after we finish the physical therapy. This helps to keep the muscles and trigger points in check.
I usually do myofascial release with many of the problems as well as triggerpoint therapy...using the pressure and hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Sometimes we use spray and stretch as well as the trigger point hand held device, which works really great for someone to do at home.
I hope this information helps.
Martha long, PTA, CMT

Permalink Reply by Jason Erickson on August 3, 2010 at 12:55am

I have found that positional release techniques and Active Isolated Stretching eliminate most trigger/tender point issues... and therefore most of the need to smash away with conventional trigger point therapy. When I do use trigger point therapy, I have already positioned the client to minimize/eliminate discomfort, and I use short targeted strokes along the fibers or cross fiber friction rather than static pressure - as short strokes have been scientifically shown to be more effective. Muscle Energy Technique is also very helpful when AIS methods are impractical or if the client's tissue response indicates that it may respond better to MET.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on April 17, 2011 at 4:24pm

Gosh, just about everybody I work on has trigger points....Basically all I do is rub and rub till I find a sore spot(trigger point), then release it...I look  at it as cleaning up sore spots.. And that more often then not clears up all kinds of problems and symptoms...Doesnt matter if there is a referred pain pattern or not. Pretty much if a person comes in with any kind of pain complaint, there is a trigger point somewhere...Soft tissue release techniques work really well , even though they never talk about trigger points... Im working on trigger points every day.   I just finished  clearing out some rhomboid and upper trap trigger points a half hour ago...Im home for lunch now.  I have 2.5 hours of work this afternoon...Im sure I will run into a few more trigger points before my day is over..haha!  Gosh, trigger points are so important with any kind of pain problem, severe or minor.  Sometimes it results in miraculous cures. Trigger Points are IT.