What is Trigger Point Therapy?

A trigger point is the location of muscle tissue tightness where pain emanates from. Typically a trigger point will give shooting pain from various body parts including your shoulders, arms, legs, back, or glutes. The trigger points can appear as knots by the muscle and cause pain and discomfort when pressure is applied to the area. Trigger point can also cause a limited range of movement or motion due to stiffness and tightness of the muscle. Without treatment the pain will eventually become insufferable and can affect posture and balance.

​Trigger Point Therapy consist of applying pressure to the area of pain to help release the tension induced pain. This is usually done with massage therapy which can help treat the trigger point. Because the physical therapist is applying pressure to the affected area there may be temporary pain but in the long run that temporary pain is worth it in relieving the long term pain. If a therapist cannot be seen and pain becomes insufferable self-massage, or rubbing a small ball like a tennis, or lacrosse ball can also help alleviate the pain caused by trigger point. Keeping in mind that these should be gentle massages of the area to not cause more pain.
Consistently seeing a physical therapist and receiving massage therapy to the affected area is the best way to deal and treat trigger point. If you or someone you know are dealing with these symptoms, you can contact Physical Therapy Experience at our Smithtown or Oceanside locations. We provide a quality care approach and offer effective and innovative treatments to get our patients back in motion and back to health.  Our professional staff is dedicated to giving personalized care with an emphasis on hands-on therapy, in a relaxing friendly atmosphere.