Traditional Hydrotherapy

from Hydrothermic Remedies...

Trigger points are simply the irritable scars left in muscles by injuries. They cause no problem until they are re-injured or are close to some other inflamed structure. Chronic pain of any sort will have associated trigger points, painful spots that often feel like lumps or bands within the muscle.

The treatment of trigger points involves lubricating the skin, (I use oil or creams) applying pressure with the thumbs then moving along the line of the muscle. you will need to know some of the anatomy involved so you know which direction to run. The pressure should be as strong and as deep as the patient can bear and on the first treatment will probably ask you to stop. I try to cover the whole area of the muscle and repeat strokes only twice on the same line. More than this only stirs things up.

When you come across a really tender point just stop and press in, hard, for the count of 10, release slowly and move on.

Tendons and ligaments get painful and inflamed too. These are rubbed across the fibres and very strongly.

Response to effective treatment is usually dramatic, many, even chronic pains (I had one of 30 years duration) will only need one session. If you have no change by the third session you are doing something wrong and need a second opinion.

The patient will rarely thank you for treatment until a day or two after the session. This is when the 'treatment soreness' wears off and they find the original pain gone. Try this on your family first.

I usually don't warn people of the soreness until just before I've finished. By this stage you can tell them the treatment is almost over. It does hurt but only for a minute or three and then they will have a dull pain for about 12 hours in most cases and then, all being well, all the pain is gone.

Always check their range of movement before treatment and then again afterwards. Don't be surprised if movement is nearly normal. You should always stretch the muscles after treatment.

If a further treatment is needed it may mean that there are trigger points you didn't get. These are usually in muscles nearby or at the nearest joint above or below however they may be quite far away. So just do some poking around and then iron them out.

One day, I hope to compile my knowledge of trigger point work like I have with Hydrotherapy but you can also get many of the books or attend courses available on the topic.