Trigger Point Therapy

Our next modality at the Sedona School of Massage was Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT) or Trigger Point Therapy.  It was taught by this wonderful spirit, Kate, who made a special trip to Sedona for this course.  She had a great teaching style and was quite intuitive.  She made the learning fun and lessened our anxiety.  She often didn't teach so early in the program, but I think it worked out best this way, since she was a great support at our first massage clinic where we had to do massages on actual clients.  It felt way too soon for me to be doing massages on actual clients, but Kate was confident in us and our healing hands.

I found that I really liked learning NMT because it had an explorative component to it.  I had to focus on the muscles of the body and to seek out the trigger points (knots, adhesions) - this required an intuitive challenge that I liked.  It also gave me a sense of the body in a way that was totally different from Swedish.  Swedish felt more general, more gross motor for lack of a better explanation.  NMT was finer, more tuned in and dealt with the specifics of the muscles versus the overall muscle.  Of course, in working on the trigger points we were dealing with the function of the whole muscle, but, this specific work seemed to provide some great relief that isn't always an outcome from Swedish, in my opinion.

And, this modality unleashed the joy that I have for investigation.  It made the process fun...find the trigger points, massage and get some sense of release.  It was a process that may require more than one visit due to the holding habits and patterns, but clients often walked out feeling different immediately.  I knew this was going to be one modality that I would utilize.  In trying to make the massage flow, Swedish strokes were incorporated into the Trigger Point session.  A massage session was being developed as we learned each new modality.

From Mama's Health:


Trigger point therapy is a bodywork technique that involves the applying of pressure to tender muscle tissue in order to relieve pain and dysfunction in other parts of the body. Sometimes massage and trigger point therapy are performed together.  Trigger point therapy is also called myofascial trigger point therapy. It was developed by Dr. Janet Travel in the United States in the 1940s.

What are Trigger Points?
Trigger points are areas of tenderness in a muscle. There are two basic types of trigger points: active and latent.  Active trigger points cause muscular pain and will refer pain and tenderness to another area of the body when pressure is applied. Latent trigger points only exhibit pain when compressed, they do not refer pain to other areas of the body. Latent trigger points are believed to be one of the causes of stiff joints and restricted range of motion of old age.  Trigger points may be associated with myofascial pain syndromes or fibromyalgia. Trigger points are very common. They are also referred to as muscle knots.  Trigger points differ from acupressure points. Acupressure points are concentrations of energy or blockages of the body's energy pathways. Trigger points are physical phenomena that can be felt by touch.  The pain caused by trigger points may be the biggest cause of disability and loss of time in the workplace.

What Causes Trigger Points?
Trigger points have several causes. Some common causes of trigger points are: birth trauma, an injury sustained in a fall or accident, poor posture, or overexertion.

What is the Purpose of Trigger Point Therapy?
The purpose of trigger point therapy is to eliminate pain and to re-educate the muscles into pain-free habits. After several treatments, the swelling and stiffness of neuromuscular pain is reduced, range of motion is increased, tension is relieved, and circulation, flexibility and coordination are improved.

Trigger Point Therapy can also be done on oneself, with the use of tools.  Using a tennis ball or the like, if someone doesn't have a formal tool, see photo.  Release can be provided by using different sized balls and adding some movement, if possible.