Is Trigger Point Release A Must For Quality Massage Therapy?

Myofascial Release is an alternative treatment treatment claimed to be tremendously useful for the treatment of chronic pain and frozen skeletal muscle cramps by relaxing tight contracted myofascial muscles, improving blood flow, boosting nutrients and oxygen, and increasing the release of pain signals from the nervous system. It's reputed to help alleviate the pain from conditions such as whiplash, tennis elbow, bursitis, tennis , carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger points, osteoarthritis, and multiple sclerosis. It is also said to be effective in helping to reconstruct and rehabilitate damaged tendons, ligaments, muscles, or bones. There are many different techniques for the treatment of myofascial release, all which may be used by themselves or in combination with each other.

The technique is often used for treatment of soreness throughout the body, especially in the lower back, neck, shoulders, and hip regions. A massage therapist may initially employ slow controlled shallow to deep superficial myofascial release techniques to the affected tissues or muscles in order to relax and release the tensed muscles and fascia. After the first application of techniques, the massage therapist will advance to applying longer and deeper levels of controlled pressure until a desired amount of muscle relaxation and spasm are attained. Long sustained pressure is applied to the muscles to alleviate any mechanical shortening of the fascia or the tensed muscles. Massage therapists using this method of myofascial release on patients with injured tissues and muscles report improved blood circulation, increased nourishment and oxygen absorption in the region, and enhanced mobility in the treated tissues.

Controlled muscle elongation and stretching is another technique used to achieve long term and consistent pain relief and improve motor function. It's commonly used for patients with injuries to the low back, hips, shoulders, knees, or elbows. Control techniques are used on a regular and continuing basis to maintain pain relief and prevent further injury while reducing stiffness and inflammation. Most professional therapists offering myofascial release treatments are skilled in applying myofascial release methods to patients suffering from a variety of chronic conditions including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, reactive arthritis, and more. They've trained in the safe and effective application of this treatment method for over 10 years and are highly trained in applying its precise techniques.

One of the most common areas where a therapist using a myofascial release device will apply the technique is at the neck, shoulder, knee, hips, and ankle areas. It's a very effective tool when used in conjunction with other therapeutic modalities such as ultrasound, heat, ice, physical therapy, laser treatment, or ultrasound together with heat and ice. A foam roller is a specialized piece of equipment that is used during a massage therapy session to apply myofascial release techniques and supply deep tissue stretching. This special foam roller includes a soft, insulation cover that allows it to provide a comfortable, even pressure along the contours of the body while reducing the potential for injury.

When myofascial release techniques are used for pain control, they not only reduce the level of discomfort in a specific area, but they also stimulate the growth of new, healthy, elastic myofascial tissues. In fact, when a patient is undergoing a myofascial release treatment session, the therapist uses a low to moderate level stretch at the onset of the treatment and has been doing so during the session to keep the integrity of the injured muscles and cells. Often, depending on the thickness of the pain, further treatments are applied to the client after the first treatment has been administered. This is important to maintain the customer comfortable and allows the therapist to determine which regions of the body require additional work and where more time should be allowed before moving on.

The technique of myofascial release functions best when used with other alternative methods of pain management, such as trigger point therapy and deep tissue massage. Trigger point therapy works by boosting the strength of the muscle you are working by applying continuous pressure along the length of the muscle. Trigger points are the result of muscle inflammation, irritation, or scar tissue that occurs in and around muscles that are overstressed. Trigger points may be treated with regular trigger point massages and/or trigger point injections, but many chiropractors feel that by providing another method of pain control, trigger points can be efficiently and completely removed with myofascial release techniques.

During a myofascial release treatment, your physical therapist will employ soft, even pressure to the targeted muscles and tissues. The physical therapist will first apply gentle pressure to the area in question before proceeding to a midline pressure. The objective of this gentle pressure is to produce the necessary trigger point decrease without causing any damage to any of the surrounding tissues or muscles. If you feel pain once the physical therapist is applying pressure to a specific spot, they're using too much pressure in that area, so just stop the session and try again later.

If you do not feel pain, it doesn't follow that your illness is treatable. Sometimes myofascia will heal on its own after a few treatments, but you might want to seek other forms of treatment if the condition worsens. Myofascial release techniques are sometimes suggested by physical therapists or chiropractors after their patient has had three or more before massage therapy treatments. A trigger point may be the reason behind poor posture, but there are many different causes of poor posture, including muscle imbalance, weak muscles, joint stiffness, and weak tissues and ligaments. Trigger point release techniques may help each of these conditions, or may be utilised in conjunction with other treatment approaches.