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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 Gary W Addis, LMT on
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it is well written, and right about some things it talks about. Probably a good MT--not on your level, certainly, but probably better than most.
In a forum on another website over the past couple of days, an MT says using his special techniques he can release frozen shoulder by moving pec minor back into the acromion process. Well, first of all, pec minor attaches to coracoid, an inch or so from the acromion. After I got him corrected on that, he continued to insist that he can move pec minor back into coracoid process. Just to make sure I was right, I googled, looked at illustrations and read articles, and sure enough, the pec minor tendon attaches to the tip of the "birds' beak" coracoid-- it can't be moved "back into the coracoid process" because it was never in the space between acromion and coracoid-- if that tendon can be moved, it has been ripped loose from its moorings on the bone, and no MT is gonna fix it.
Now, this guy has a bachelor's degree, is also a licensed PT. Heck we all forget stuff years out of school, but before I post something down, I research the issue and make sure my opinion is backed up with facts. The only thing he was right about is that pec minor can clamp down on the brachial plexus.
In another discussion an MT fixes forward head posture by moving the trachea aside to get to the longus muscles of neck. Well, they do originate from cervical vertebra, but according to the illustrations seems to attach near the chin. So, the movement performed would be, it seems to me, to move the chin toward chest. I didn't spend much time checking this one out, so...am I wrong, is the longus muscles involved in forward head posture?--and would YOU dig beneath the trachea to work on them?
Sorry, Gordon, didn't mean to hijack the discussion. But...ain't it amazing the BS spouted by some successful therapists?
Gordon J. Wallis said:http://www.pain-education.com/trigger-points.html
Some of you guys might find this link interesting. I don't agree with everything said, but.. lol
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
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There are huge amounts of BS in the bodywork field. Of course the biggest BS out there is simply the lack of acknowledgment of the importance of trigger points. I mean every bodyworker /physical therapist or whatever, when you mention the word trigger point. They all know. But....Truth Remains Hidden.
Gary W Addis, LMT said:it is well written, and right about some things it talks about. Probably a good MT--not on your level, certainly, but probably better than most.
In a forum on another website over the past couple of days, an MT says using his special techniques he can release frozen shoulder by moving pec minor back into the acromion process. Well, first of all, pec minor attaches to coracoid, an inch or so from the acromion. After I got him corrected on that, he continued to insist that he can move pec minor back into coracoid process. Just to make sure I was right, I googled, looked at illustrations and read articles, and sure enough, the pec minor tendon attaches to the tip of the "birds' beak" coracoid-- it can't be moved "back into the coracoid process" because it was never in the space between acromion and coracoid-- if that tendon can be moved, it has been ripped loose from its moorings on the bone, and no MT is gonna fix it.
Now, this guy has a bachelor's degree, is also a licensed PT. Heck we all forget stuff years out of school, but before I post something down, I research the issue and make sure my opinion is backed up with facts. The only thing he was right about is that pec minor can clamp down on the brachial plexus.
In another discussion an MT fixes forward head posture by moving the trachea aside to get to the longus muscles of neck. Well, they do originate from cervical vertebra, but according to the illustrations seems to attach near the chin. So, the movement performed would be, it seems to me, to move the chin toward chest. I didn't spend much time checking this one out, so...am I wrong, is the longus muscles involved in forward head posture?--and would YOU dig beneath the trachea to work on them?
Sorry, Gordon, didn't mean to hijack the discussion. But...ain't it amazing the BS spouted by some successful therapists?
Gordon J. Wallis said:http://www.pain-education.com/trigger-points.html
Some of you guys might find this link interesting. I don't agree with everything said, but.. lol
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Just a comment. But it bugs me.. Because its not the first time I've heard this from cleints. A new client the other day. I asked her what she needed from this massage. She told me. That in the past when she got massages the therapists always tell her that she is too TIGHT in the shoulders. So she guesses she needs lots of work in the shoulders. I asked her if she feels any discomfort or pain in her shoulders.. She said no. So Im thinking WHAT? So what are they teaching massage therapists in these schools? She has no complaints, she feels fine yet thinks her shoulders need work? I asked her does she feel stiff or tight in her shoulders... she said no. But thats what they tell me. So anyway thats my comment today. The whole training education system for massage therapists.. I just don't get it? There was nothing wrong with that ladies shoulders. What kind of education system makes therapists say stuff like that? Yet no mention or teaching something real, like trigger points. This bugs me A LOT.
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Remind her next time that a conditioned athlete's body will feel tight but that doesn't interfere with their performance-- actually even enhances their sport performance. The tightness is an issue when the tightness isn't balanced, when it exists on only one side. That when it is imbalanced it's probably the result of a tp somewhere, or will eventually lead to tp development because the opposite side will have to try to counteract the uneven pull.
MTs are taught, but most are bored silly in the classrooms. They seem to not care enough to even try to absorb the info-- and this extends to instructors too. Hell, I graduated 4.0-- perfect A all the way through. Not because I'm so smart, but because I busted my ass to learn; when I wasn't in the classroom, I was home studying the textbooks and studying online, or begging someone to lie down on my table.
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I had an Army guy come in today. I'd seen him once before. He has chronic back pain. A lot of it to do with his work.. Infantry. They hike 30 miles with pounds on their backs. They work hard. He has been to chiropractors for weeks with no improvement. Also did an attempt at Rolfing to no benifit. Its trigger points of course. He has about 20 painful trigger points on hs back.. Mostly errectors. A few on the hips. Because of his work he can't follow up as needed. So he comes in when he can. I saw him for the second time today.. last tiime was six months ago. He told me after I worked on him he was pain free for a couple of weeks, even though he was doing his job. Gosh, if he could come in regularly, well, he would be way better. Its all trigger points. He came in hurting today.. In twenty minutes he left pain free. I charged him $20.oo. The chiro cost him $130.00 with no results. There are better massage therapists then me.. I have no doubt on that. But chiropractors? Hmm... I don't think so. lol
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Using acupressure to wipe out pain. The meridians are not some kind of mysterious energy lines that flow chi through the body(as taught). They are kinetic muscle chains that function as one muscle. When I work on somebody, I'm working on no more then14 different muscles.
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The attachment below goes with the above reply. The Chinese call it the Bladder meridian. Thomas W. Myers calls it, the Superficial Back Line. Working with only 14 muscles makes it a lot easier.
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Bladder Meridian( attachment below). A more traditional chart.
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Permalink Reply by Sadie Haney on
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Gordon, I was going to ask you about your experience with acupressure and if it relates to trigger points. I am very interested in acupressure.
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Well Im talking about it now(my experience). Its very difficult to teach online via just typing. I'm not even going to try. Think on things, and find your own answer. I was on youtube for an hour today, looking at videos on Tui na and acupressure. Uhm, they are living in fantasy land( if you ask me). Everything I do is based on science. This chi and engery flow stuff, I can't relate too. And their techniques are based on that mysterious stuff. I can't get into it.
Sadie Haney said:Gordon, I was going to ask you about your experience with acupressure and if it relates to trigger points. I am very interested in acupressure.
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If you watch the clip( a few paragraphs up) and look at the attachment below. You will see my experience with acupressure and trigger points.
Now if you take an acupressure class, or read a book on acupressure. It won't have very much to do with trigger points at all( at least my experience).
Gordon J. Wallis said:Well Im talking about it now(my experience). Its very difficult to teach online via just typing. I'm not even going to try. Think on things, and find your own answer. I was on youtube for an hour today, looking at videos on Tui na and acupressure. Uhm, they are living in fantasy land( if you ask me). Everything I do is based on science. This chi and engery flow stuff, I can't relate too. And their techniques are based on that mysterious stuff. I can't get into it.
Sadie Haney said:Gordon, I was going to ask you about your experience with acupressure and if it relates to trigger points. I am very interested in acupressure.
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My take on acupressure is that it can take out trigger points, but accidentally, if the acupressure point happens to be on top of a trigger point. Acupressure puts the therapist in a "box" defined by meridians. Trigger point therapists go wherever the pain is found. Acupressure employs harder pressure than is necessary. Watch the videos Gordon has put up. No grimacing, no flinching from the client, notice how light his pressure is, how quickly he releases the trigger point. Then watch acupressure in action. Notice how long, how hard his pressure is applied. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-SXdTfU8wk
Now, the meridians coincide pretty closely to the muscle lines that you've seen in some of the photos Gordon has posted. So learning all that TCM stuff is not wasted effort. Just don't lock yourself in a box: find the pain by palpation alone rather than trying to rely on a meridian or trigger point map. Then treat the pain without worrying about which meridian point you are on.
Sadie Haney said:Gordon, I was going to ask you about your experience with acupressure and if it relates to trigger points. I am very interested in acupressure.
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