Sports Massage Brisbane

Trigger points are areas within muscle tissue that have become contracted and banded together. As the chart above demonstrates Trigger Points are either Active or Latent. Active points can radiate pain to other areas of the body, even areas that are not directly aligned with the trigger point. They can also stimulate the release of sensitizing chemicals into muscle increasing pain. If you have active trigger points in the neck, for example you may experience headaches.

Latent means they are present but don’t cause pain, however they will cause tension, lack of mobility and weakness in the muscle.

Pressure is applied to the TP and we use a pain scale to assess discomfort where 1 is the lowest and 10 the highest. We won’t go above a 7 out of 10 for discomfort. The point is held until it drops to a 2-3 out of 10. Often a pulsing will be felt by the therapist or we feel the tissue relaxing under pressure. Sometimes a TP may not release or only partially, often because there is another close by. It may also mean the tissue needs some other type of technique such as cross fibre or Dry Needling. Dry Needling is the insertion of fine filament needle into the point in order to stimulate the pulse response. Therapists use this when the TP is particularly difficult, where the client may be larger and the tissue harder to work with or when muscle is extremely contracted. Only trained therapists use this method.

It is not exactly known why they occur however Poor posture especially whilst working at the computer or studying and holding positions where some muscles are overworked whilst others are under utilised is thought to be a major factor. As women are more prone than men to develop tp it is thought that hormones can play a part. There is also research into the mineral balance and the way cells produce and store ionized calcium. Whatever the reasons the good news is that massage is a very effective treatment for Trigger Points and can quickly ease pain and increase range of motion.

Cross fibre: is the manual manipulation of tissue across the direction of the fibres. The point is to spread fibres apart, break down scar tissue and adhesions and reduce the stickiness of fascia allowing muscles and tendons to glide past each other more easily.

Stretching: once trigger points have been released, general muscle tension decreased and blood flow increased stretching helps to lock in the changes in the tissue. It increases the mobility of the fibres and helps to change the muscle memory that develops when muscles are contracted for a long period of time or held in the same position or not used properly over time. It is also a good opportunity for us to educate our clients in treatment on the kind of stretches that will benefit them after treatment.

We will provide a stretching routine for your issue or at home exercises or both should you want these. We also recommend to increase your water intake, avoid alcohol for the rest of the day and have an epsom salt bath after treatment to fully enhance the treatment received.