Trigger Point Therapy

ESWT & MYOFASCIAL TRIGGER POINTS – RELIEF IN THE BAY AREA

Myofascial trigger points, or just “trigger points” are small muscle spasms within the muscle belly.  The smallest units of muscle contraction (the sarcomeres) are stuck in extreme contraction.  This causes blood supply to be cut off to the muscle, waste products to build up  and the trigger point to further contract.  This cycle spirals on itself and trigger points just continue their pattern.

In the laboratory, the trigger points are shown to have an increased electrical charge in comparison to the rest of the muscle.

Trigger points tend to radiate pain or dysfunction to another part of the body.  Here are some examples:

CAN ESWT HELP MYOFASCIAL TRIGGER POINTS?

We have been helping people with trigger points in our Los Gatos and San Jose locations for years with manual therapy. However, using the Piezowave 2 (the specific machine we will use on you in our Los Gatos office) on the muscle belly can treat those symptoms and decrease the trigger points as shown on before-and-after MRI studies [1] to be even more effective.  An interesting phenomenon you may note when being treated is that, during the application of the shockwave therapy, your symptoms may be temporarily reproduced.

When treating scar tissue we can see you 1 to 2 times per week or even more spread out than that.  With trigger points, we find that 2 times per week is needed  and prescribed home care is greatly encouraged.  In 2005, a study was done with 30 patients for 7 treatments each and there was an alleviation of pain in 95% of the participants [2].  This is really being proven to be a very effective treatment for trigger points.  There is even evidence of ESWT being as effective as trigger point hypodermic needle injections [3,4].  A lot kinder to your system though.

Even when we are treating conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, knee pain, golfer’s elbow, etc., the results are better when we work on the trigger points above or below the injured area as well [5].

Where Science and Miracles Come Together you will find Trigger Point Therapy

 

Align    Can help pretreatment with easier chiropractic adjustments.

Mobilize   After Trigger Point Therapy injured joints feel more lubricated and have more range of motion.

Localize     Working on trigger points is associated with a decrease in referred pain, numbness and tingling.  An example would be someone who has pain down the side of their leg (Iliotibial or ITB syndrome) which emanates from their upper outer buttocks (gluteus medius muscle).

Empower   Trigger points can shut down the function of surrounding muscles.  Releasing them can make weak or dormant muscles strong again.

Heal   Conditions which appear to be visceral in nature may be just a trigger point radiation into the area.  Thus, relief of trigger points could lead to improved urination, breathing, swallowing or many other body functions.  Obviously, deeper pathology needs to first be ruled out by Dr Adam Fields or a licensed medical doctor.

Janet Travel first discovered the trigger point in the 1940s.  Today, thanks to a lot of research on trigger point therapy we now have a strong grasp on this effective treatment.  In 2007 a paper was presented even showing images of Trigger Points using MRI.

Trigger Points have been shown in the laboratory to have a higher electrical charge and be more acidic  than surrounding muscle tissue.  When we are stressed or lack sleep the electrical charge in the trigger point is actually increased.

Your therapist will help alleviate these painful areas which radiate to other parts your body.  One of the common trigger points is in the upper outer hip and radiates down the side of the leg or iliotibial band.

The latest and extremely effective method at helping trigger points is extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT).  We have dedicated a section of this site to discussing how ESWT can help with your myofascial trigger points.

HELP TRIGGER POINTS FROM RETURNING

• Have your posture corrected with Pettibon Chiropractic Care to avoid postural stress, muscle overload and trigger points.  Imagine what a short leg from a pelvic misalignment or forward head posture could do to create muscle imbalance.
• When going back to exercise, gradually build up the amount of weight used.
• Take breaks when performing repetitive movements like computer work, assembly line work, gardening, etc..
• Ask us about proper training to avoid common mistakes that lead to trigger points.
• Get your trigger points treated with the Piezowave 2 and home care or satellite trigger points develop.
• Manage stress with relaxing activities, prayer, getting in nature, etc.. Stress increases trigger point activation.  Some of the most stubborn trigger points are in overachievers that don’t stop to look at the sky and breathe.
• Eat a well balanced diet loaded with raw veggies.  Deficiencies in vitamins B1, B6, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, potassium and iron can perpetuate trigger points.
• Have a proper ergonomic evaluation done of your workstation.

*Sometimes trigger points cannot be reached with the shockwave. For harder to reach trigger points that cause pelvic pain, urinary dysfunction and other visceral referral patterns, physical therapist, Tim Sawyer works in our Los Gatos office. He is world renowned at helping those in need through trigger point therapy on the pelvic floor muscles and is a published author of research in this area. Pelvic pain syndromes treated by Mr. Sawyer include prostatitis, pelvic floor dysfunction, levator ani syndrome, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, interstitial cystitis, urethral syndrome, and pelvic floor myalgia, among other diagnoses.

Most of the research has been focused on the effectiveness of internal trigger point work for chronic pelvic pain and pelvic dysfunction [6,7,8,9].  This has provided hope for people who have traveled from around the globe to see him. If you have pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, prostatitis, urinary incontinence, difficulty relaxing or tightening your pelvic floor muscles or have any questions involving that area, we are happy to put you in touch with him.

You can reach our office for in-person (Los Gatos and San Jose, California) or telehealth appointments here.

 

Shockwave and Trigger Point Therapy Research

1. M. Gleitz, K. Hornig, Trigger points-diagnosis and treatment concepts with special reference to extracorporeal shockwaves, Orthopade 41 (2012) 113e125
2. H. Muller-Ehrenberg, G. Licht, Diagnosis and therapy of myofascial pain syndrome with focused shock waves, MOT 5 (2005) 1e5.
3. J.H. Jeon, Y.J. Jung, J.Y. Lee, J.S. Choi, J.H. Mun, W.Y. Park, C.H. Seo, K.U. Jang, The effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on myofascial pain syndrome, Ann. Rehabil. Med. 36 (2012) 665e674.
4. H.M. Ji, H.J. Kim, S.J. Han, Extracorporeal shock wave therapy on myofascial pain syndrome of upper trapezius, Ann. Rehabil. Med. 36 (2012) 675e680.
5. A. Moghtaderi, S. Khosrawi, F. Dehghan, Extracorporeal shock wave therapy of gastroc-soleus trigger points in patients with plantar fasciitis: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial, Adv. Biomed. Res. 3 (2014) 99.
6. Anderson R, Wise D, Sawyer T, Nathanson BH. Source, Department of Urology, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, CA Results of Internal Trigger Point Wand used in the Wise-Anderson Protocol – Clinical Journal of Pain, 2011, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, Clin J Pain. 2011 Nov;27(9):764-8.
7. Anderson RU, Sawyer T, Wise, D Morey A. Nathanson BH.Reports on Trigger Points and Prostatitis / CPPS Journal of Urology, 2009, Oct 16
8. Rodney U. Anderson, David Wise, Timothy Sawyer, And Christine Chan, From the Department of Urology (RUA, CC), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Sebastopol, (DW) and Los Gatos (TS),Improvement in Sexual Functioning after the Wise-Anderson Protocol The Journal Of Urology, October, 2006, p. 1534-1538. ABSTRACT, 1: J Urol. 2006 Oct;176(4 Pt 1):1534-8,
9. Rodney U. Anderson, David Wise, Timothy Sawyer, And Christine Chan, From the Department of Urology (RUA, CC), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Sebastopol, (DW) and Los Gatos (TS),First Publication of the Success of the Wise-Anderson Protocol The Journal Of Urology, July, 2005, p. 155-160, ABSTRACT, 1: J Urol. 2005 Jul;174(1):155-60,