Georgetown Chiropractic Care: Trigger Point Therapy

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

Patients are frequently amazed that we can find, just by feeling, the painful area. Trigger points are extremely sensitive areas in muscle bands that trigger painful responses and are differentiated by heightened discomfort in the patient and an apparent hardness to the doctor or therapist. Trigger points are not just sensitive nodules, but they affect the muscle and tissues in the surrounding area.

A type of soft tissue therapy, trigger point therapy, first formulated 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 in fact 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 sensitivity in a muscle. Trigger point therapy involves the application of pressure to these sore, tender spots in order to alleviate their pain and dysfunction as well as pain in other parts 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 hurt unless pressed, but they are presumed 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 ease the muscle and tissues affected. Even as the application of 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 discover that trigger point therapy in connection with your chiropractic Cox Technic treatment goes far to move you toward pain relief.

Dr. Butwell provides trigger point therapy to maximize your healing. Ask Dr. Butwell for more information.