Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka's Use of Trigger Point Therapy

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

Patients are frequently astonished that we can find, just by feeling, the painful spot. Trigger points are highly irritable spots in muscle bands that trigger painful responses and are characterized by increased soreness 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 coined by Dr. Janet Travell who treated President John F. Kennedy for his back pain, is founded on the theory that pain in a certain 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 spots of tenderness in a muscle. Trigger point therapy incorporates applied pressure to these painful, tender 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 applied together. Theoretically, active trigger points bring about muscle pain which transfers pain and tenderness to other areas of the body when pressed. Latent trigger points are those that don't have pain unless pressed, but they are presumed to bring about joint stiffness and reduced ranges of motion as we age.

By incorporating 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 may cause your discomfort to become more noticeable, it has the strange effect of feeling good at the same time. You will find that trigger point therapy in connection with your chiropractic Cox Technic treatment goes far to move you toward pain relief.

Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka offers trigger point therapy to enhance your healing. Ask Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka for more information.