Trigger point therapy

---

What are Trigger Points?

Trigger points are tension points found in muscle tissue that are highly sensitive and can cause typically local, or even radiating, pain. They are usually perceived as muscle knots, but in such cases, the pain and stiffness can also lead to restricted movement.

---

When is Trigger Point Therapy applied?

In addition to causing local or radiating pain, trigger and tender points also increase the spasm of the affected muscle, which can lead to further complaints/symptoms. These include tendon overuse, tendinopathy, cartilage and meniscus injuries, arthrosis, spinal complaints, disc disorders, radiating pain, pseudoradicular symptoms, facial pain, toothache, and headaches.

Trigger points can occur in our body in 3 stages:

• Active Trigger Point: painful to the touch, this pain is familiar to the patient, and radiates to a specific area.
• Latent Trigger Point: painful to the touch, but this pain is not familiar to the patient, yet it radiates to a specific area.
• Initial Trigger Point: this knot is just developing, locally signals pain upon touch, and does not radiate.

The essence of trigger point therapy is that treatment (primarily pressure) applied to the appropriate point reduces pain and relieves stiffness after one or a few sessions.