Understanding Trigger Point Therapy
When it comes to structural health care, the average person is a little bit clueless, but maintaining a healthy musculoskeletal system is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Sustaining a healthy frame with good posture and balanced muscle tone not only helps alleviate aches and pains, but it will help maintain a better quality of life as the body ages and succumbs to inevitable wear and tear. There are a number of options for structural health care available, such as chiropractic or various massage and soft tissue techniques. One type of soft technique is Trigger Point Therapy (TPT), which is easily learned, and can be performed on others or even yourself. To better understand how you may benefit from TPT, it is important to first understand what a trigger point is, and how TPT works.
Simply put, a trigger point is a localized area in a muscle where the muscle is contracting or gone in to spasm on a small scale, creating a tight "knot" or "nodule" in the muscle. It is theorized that these small areas of spasm are the result of a chronically stressed muscle trying to conserve energy by shortening muscle fibres in bundles throughout the muscle. Trigger points can refer pain to other areas, and different muscles have different pain referral patterns for trigger points.
In Trigger Point Therapy, the goal is to break up these nodular areas of muscular tightness. TPT can be performed by hand or with the assistance of specialized tools. The basic concept is to apply steady pressure to the trigger point for a short period of time and then release and repeat.
When pressure is applied to the trigger point several processes are occurring. The pressure helps to break up adhesion between the muscle and surrounding connective tissue called fascia, and cause the muscle fibres to relax, much the same as how a typical massage works. But, the more important process seems to be that the pressure pushes all the blood and interstitial fluid (the fluid that surrounds all the tissue cells in our bodies) out of the area. When the pressure is released, the tissue in the area is flooded with fresh blood.
The press and release process of TPT is basically flushing built up toxins and metabolic by-products in the interstitial fluid away from the muscle cells and allowing nutrient rich blood to rush in and support tissue repair and healing. It also begins to break up adhesion between tissues. The ultimate result of TPT is relief from tight tender muscles.
TPT is most easily performed on another person, but you can perform it on yourself on many areas of your body. Unfortunately, there will always be some areas you just can't reach yourself, especially on your back! Luckily, there are perfectly designed tools for "do it yourself" Trigger Point Therapy which are readily available.
TPT is an excellent way to begin to take better care of your body. To learn more about TPT, go to The Natural Health Resource. The Natural Health Resource provides a Free Lesson on Trigger Point Therapy which is easily understood. They provide resources for TPT tools and educational material as well. Let The Natural Health Resource assist you in your first step toward structural health.
The Natural Health Resource - Your Guide to Natural Health Information and Products: http://thenaturalhealthresource.com