Chronic Pain – Trigger Points: The Path to Release!
Chronic Pain, Ever felt like you need a back pain emoji? You’re not alone! The stress of chronic pain is such a pandemic condition, in fact, that countless Americans visit healthcare providers each year for treatment of this debilitating malady.
But the stress doesn’t end there. What if you’ve suffered an unexpected and profound injury, and acute pain becomes chronic?
Understandably, most chronic pain sufferers reach for medication, a quick fix to what can be a life altering condition. And who doesn’t want the pain to end, to get back to the vibrant life enjoyed pre-injury?
But in our instant gratification culture, the “quick-fix” more often than not does not address the root of the problem – rather than supporting healing from the inside out, one-pill cures may do little more than slap a metaphorical band-aid on a much more profound ailment.
Like a Boiling Teakettle
If you’ve ever left a teakettle on the stove too long, you know the tell-tale high-pitched whine that the releasing steam makes, grappling for your attention. On a somatic level, chronic pain is the body’s way of signaling that an excess of pressure has built up in the system – pressure that must be released.
But how?
Intriguingly, research by Drs. Janet Travell and David Simons, authors of The Trigger Point Manual, has shown that unreleased trigger points may be the primary cause of pain 75 percent of the time, and are an integral component of nearly every painful condition!
Trigger points, a type of muscle stiffness, are the result of small yet painful knots that develop in muscles and tissue when an area of the body is injured or overworked.
Trigger points may occur as a result of muscle trauma from:
– Car accidents
– Falls
– Sports and work-related injuries
– Muscle strain from repetitive movements at work or play
– Postural strain from standing or sitting improperly for long periods of the time
- Emotional stress
Simply, the overcompensation of your body to protect itself after injury results in unreleased tension or “triggers” throughout the body. This protective yet maladaptive mechanism ultimately causes imbalance in muscles, as well as postural misalignment throughout the body.
Release!
How to coax those tense, tired, and overworked muscles into relaxing? As our practitioners manipulate the trigger points, applying sustained and precise pressure to the points of contraction, your body will undergo soft tissue release, allowing for increased blood flow, a reduction in muscle spasm, and the break-up of scar tissue, rejuvenating your muscles and restoring your body to its pre-injury state of vigor!
Interested in learning more? Contact us today and allow one of our healthcare professionals to guide you on the path to optimal wellness.