Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka's Use of Trigger Point Therapy

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

Patients are frequently astonished that we can locate, just by feeling, the painful area. Trigger points are very sensitive spots in muscle bands that provoke painful responses and are differentiated by heightened 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 formulated by Dr. Janet Travell who treated President John F. Kennedy for his back pain, is established on the theory that pain in one part of the body can in fact be caused by an injury or dysfunction somewhere else. chiropractic treatment of the spinal nerve injuries and dysfunctions is complementary.

Trigger points are spots of sensitivity in a muscle. Trigger point therapy involves the application of pressure to these sore, tender areas in order to relieve 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 bring about muscle pain which transfers 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 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 applied pressure on a trigger point might cause your pain to become more noticeable, 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.

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