See the trigger point category for more trigger point related articles!
See the pain category for more articles related to pain.
 
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Recently, wev'e been talking a lot about the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies. This trigger point self help book, the first of it's kind, is based on the pioneering work of Janet Travell and David G. Simons and their book of two volumes, Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual.
The Trigger Point Therapy Worbook is written for the lay person and is the best book of it's kind I have ever personally owned. Davies may be a little over-enthusiastic when he seems to suggest that trigger points are the cause of every disease known to man. And I have to disagree with him about the importance of anecdotal evidence.
While it would be unscientific to IGNORE anecdotal evidence, it is unreliable and should not be over relied upon. However, these faults are easy to ignore because the sheer abundance and use-fullness of the practical information is self-evident.
In fairness, Davies is quick to point out that one should not follow the practices endlessly with no results:
"Trigger point massage works extremely well for
myofascial pain. Done correctly, it usually shows clear results
well within a week, often in just a day or two. Keep in mind that pain
that persists could have an organic or systemic cause. If your pain
began with an accident or a fall, you may have bone or tissue injuries
that need medical attention. If you hurt all over and massage is doing
no good at all or seems to make the pain worse, you may be dealing with
fibromyalgia or some other systemic problem and will have to seek other
remedies."
The book is well laid out, easy to understand, practical…and it works. I myself have been using self-massage for years and recommending it to others. I did it with practically no knowledge of proper technique or trigger points and STILL found it invaluable. Doing it with proper guidance seems like a can't miss proposition to me.
Perhaps the perfect compainion for the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook is the work of Kathryn Merrow. I have provided some of her podcasts related to myofascial pain. The bottom one is timely as it is related to a forum thread about pain between the shoulder blades:
Frustrating Chronic Back Pain.
She talks about the huge influence the scalenes have on this and the workbook echoes this information. Don't discount the influence of the pec minor, anterior delts, and lats on this. You'll find further information in that thread. The common "thread" is related to posture, habitual postions related to desk related work and computer use. It also, however, goes hand in hand with the typical strength training scenarios in which the large internal rotators dominate the scapular retractors.
For tons of information look at Kathryn Merrow's websites. Lots and lots of articles.
Her blog: Simple Strengthening with Kathryn Merrow, The Pain Relief Coach
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Her websites
Simple Strengthening
Simple Pain Relief
Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief Now
Read these two articles (among many).
Pain Between Your Shoulder Blades? How To Get Rid Of Shoulder Blade Pain
The Muscle That Causes Carpal Tunnel & Knots in Your Back
Her PodCasts:
Carpal Tunnel Radio
These podcasts are aimed at Carpal Tunnel Syndrome but you must realize that "Carpal Tunnel is but ONE outcome of the common problems she discusses.
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