Auburn Chiropractic Care: Trigger Point Therapy

"Oh, that's the spot, Doc!"

Patients are often amazed that we can find, just by feeling, the painful area. Trigger points are very irritable spots in muscle bands that trigger painful responses and are identified by increased soreness in the patient and an apparent hardness to the doctor or therapist. Trigger points are not just tender nodules, but they affect the muscle and tissues in the surrounding area.

A form of soft tissue therapy, trigger point therapy, first coined by Dr. Janet Travell who treated President John F. Kennedy for his back pain, is based on the theory that pain in one part of the body can actually be brought about by an injury or dysfunction somewhere else. chiropractic treatment of the spinal nerve injuries and dysfunctions is complementary.

Trigger points are areas of tenderness in a muscle. Trigger point therapy incorporates the application of pressure to these painful, sensitive spots in order to alleviate their pain and dysfunction as well as pain in other areas of the body. Sometimes massage and trigger point therapy are used together. Theoretically, active trigger points cause muscle pain which passes pain and tenderness to other parts of the body when pressed. Latent trigger points are those that don't have pain unless pressed, but they are believed to bring about joint stiffness and reduced ranges of motion as we age.

By including trigger point therapy, the doctor or therapist presses on these painful points to relax the muscle and tissues affected. Even as the applied pressure on a trigger point might cause your discomfort to become more apparent, it has the odd effect of feeling good at the same time. You will find that trigger point therapy in combination with your chiropractic Cox Technic treatment does wonders to move you toward pain relief.

Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. offers trigger point therapy to enhance your healing. Ask Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. for more information.