Regional and persistent pain are the two common complaints of people suffering trigger point pain. Commonly affected areas include muscles in the shoulders, neck and pelvic girdle. These debilitating symptoms do not only decrease normal range of motions but also affect correct body posture. When trigger points are discrete and hyper-irritable spots, they do not exactly lie on the region of the body that hurts. They produce radiating pain in referred pattern, which usually accompany other chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Trigger point pain result from developing stress or undue tension on muscle fibers. While pharmacological treatments like trigger-point injection offers immediate pain relief, longer lasting benefits are generally experienced with non-pharmacological treatments such as acupuncture and yoga therapy exercises.
Acupuncture Trigger Point Pain Treatment
Trigger point pain may result from old or new injuries, over training, incorrect body mechanics and poor body posture. In this light, acupuncture treatments can help return the balance to your muscles. It uses an aggressive and direct manipulative approach to relieving muscular tightness and tension. Using FDA-approved grade of acupuncture needles, it stimulates the muscle fibers, generating involuntary twitching of muscles located on the suspect trigger point. This results to gradual reduction and elimination of pain-causing pressure and tension over the affected muscle region.
Aside from relieving your muscles from stress, acupuncture helps restore balance to the biochemical functions of the body. One of its known benefits is the hastened production of pain-killing biochemicals like endorphins. In restoring balance to brain and nervous system functions, it helps regulate blood pressure, blood flow and body temperature, which is indirectly beneficial to managing and relieving body stressors.
Yoga Benefits
Since the debilitating symptoms of trigger point pain reduce the body's full range of motion, it prevents full lengthening of the muscles. This makes the body prone muscle tension and stress, which leads to the development of more musculoskeletal disorders. Yoga helps prevent repetitive muscle stripping, cold distraction and ischemic compression, which make the body prone to developing trigger points.
Doing regular yoga exercises helps strengthen and lengthen muscles. It helps stimulate and massage the muscles, keeping them less prone to injuries and disorders. It helps correct and improve posture. Since it works out the different joints in the body, it promotes joint lubrication and strengthening of ligaments and tendons. It tones your muscles in ways that it will be less flaccid or weak when subjected to tension and stress, which are known to develop trigger points and cause.
Pros and Cons
Unlike drug-based treatments, these non-pharmacologic treatment modalities like acupuncture and yoga address trigger point pain directly from its causes with minimum intervention.
But while acupuncture is generally safe and effective, people may have different opinions about it. Some people may not be comfortable thinking that they will be inserted with multiple hair-thin needles and might even feel pain during treatment. But while people may experience minimal localized soreness, some feel energized after acupuncture sessions.
On the other hand, relaxing yoga sessions are generally safe for all, except for individuals with underlying health conditions like cardiovascular disorders. Yoga works through the pain through trained and researched poses that lengthens and strengthens the muscles. People who are not comfortable about needles can try yoga. It's relaxing effect helps relieve body stresses and muscular strain, which are directly linked to trigger points. However, it would be wise to work with a trained yoga expert to avoid excessive stretching and straining of affected muscles.
In addition to acupuncture and yoga, there are also some great self massage techniques which can alleviate trigger points. I've been interested in self massage for almost as long as I've been into yoga. The two really can go hand in hand. For more information about yogatuneup.com/products/self-massage-therapy-balls self massage therapy techniques please visit Jill Miller's Yoga Tune Up? site. Jill's teachings inspire me because her program combines yogatuneup.com yoga with body therapy and self-massage. I'm a huge fan.
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