Definition:

A trigger point describes a taught band of skeletal muscle located within a larger muscle group. Trigger points are tender to the touch and can refer pain to distant parts of the body. Patients may have regional, persistent pain resulting in a decreased range of motion in the affected muscles. Massage, spray and stretch, and injections are a few techniques to decrease trigger point pain.

Simply rubbing the surface of the skin with a massage lotion, a vibrating massager—or using heat—will not change the tissue of a single trigger point. What it needs is sufficient deep sustained pressure to the "knotted-up area." As you work the Trigger Point, your body will undergo soft tissue release, allowing for increased blood flow, a reduction in muscle spasm, and the break-up of scar tissue. It will also help remove any build-up of toxic metabolic waste.

Your body will also undergo a neurological release, reducing the pain signals to the brain and resetting your neuromuscular system to restore its proper function. In other words, everything will again work the way it should.

How Long Does it Take to Get Relief

The length of time it takes to release a trigger point depends on several factors, one of which is how long you have had your trigger point. Other factors include the number of trigger points you have, how effective your current treatment is, and how consistently you can administer or receive treatment.