Trigger Point Therapy
By Colm O’Toole
Have you ever had?
– Pain shooting down from one spot to another?
– Changes in the feeling/sensation in a particular body part?
– Painfully restricted movement in a joint?
– Unexplained pain during some movements but not others?
If so the potential of Trigger Point Therapy to enhance your quality of life is endless.
Trigger Point Therapy (TPT) is a manual (hands on) therapy technique aimed at releasing areas of contracted muscle which can cause a reduced range of movement and cause pain in affected muscle and joints. It is also a leading origin of altered sensations in the body (i.e.) changes in the feeling in different body parts. These altered sensations, pain and restricted range of movement can be either localised and only affected the area where the trigger point is located or can be leading to pain to be referred to another area of the body. The release of such areas of contracted muscle can lead to increased range of motion, reduced pain and therefore improved quality of life.
Trigger points are areas of contracted muscle which cannot be released from their shortened position due to either a lack of a nerve impulse or a lack of ATP-the body’s energy. Calcium (one of whose role in the body is to cause muscle contractions through lowering the electrical impulse in muscles) is released into the muscles causing the desired action. However when a lack of the body’s energy supply (ATP) occurs the body cannot release the calcium from the muscle and therefore the muscle is held in the contracted position. This disruption to the body’s energy supply can be caused by numerous factors such as previous injury, poor diet and bad circulation (since ATP is carried in the blood).
Trigger Point Therapy (TPT) is used in conjunction with massage therapy to find and treat the trigger points. There is a degree of pain involved in treating the trigger points and it can leave a tender feeing for a day or two after treatment. However this is a temporary effect and is balanced by the increased feeling of freedom felt in the following days. No more than 5 trigger points per muscle group are treated in any one session.
TPT sessions here at 21st Zentury Health begin from €30 per half hour session or €50 for the full hour. Everybody has some trigger points and therefore everyone can benefit from trigger point therapy. Why not call us today to discuss the potential of TPT to help improve the quality of your life? Call Colm on 01-2761840!