Keep Your Muscles Happy with Trigger Point Therapy
Whether from your exercise routine or from sitting at a desk all day, we have all experienced muscle tension and pain. Usually, the discomfort comes and goes fairly quickly as the body adapts and recovers but for some, muscle tension and pain can also become chronic.
When our muscles are engaged in physical activity, micro tears happen in the tissue that results in muscle soreness or DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), followed by repair, and strengthening. Usually this can be relieved with stretching and massage therapy if needed, but often resolves on its own with time.
Physical injuries and structural imbalances can cause muscle tension as the body tries to stabilize itself to protect and compensate for the injury. This ongoing stress on the muscles can lead to chronic tension and pain that is harder to resolve. When muscles are engaged to create stability in a joint, the tension and pain will persist as long as the instability or injury is there. In this case, the approach to pain relief is different for everyone as the root cause needs to be addressed first.
Whether your pain is temporary or chronic, trigger point is a very effective therapy to help address the issue and manage stubborn muscle tension and pain. Trigger point therapy is an injection technique that uses a solution of analgesic (xylocaine or procaine) diluted with saline or dextrose in order to reduce inflammation and temporarily numb the pain. This improves the tone of the muscle and allows for improved healing as well as function of muscle tissue.
Reducing pain has a positive effect on the whole body. Often pain in one area leads to tension in different parts of the body which only compounds the discomfort. It also is very wearing on the nervous system and leads to fatigue and irritability. Trigger point therapy can lessen the burden, and therefore allow the nervous system to recover as well.
Some common conditions or causes of pain that are well addressed with trigger point include tension headaches, spinal irregularities such as scoliosis or compressed or bulged discs, shoulder and neck tension from whiplash or concussions, or back pain from poor posture or working at a desk.
The duration of the treatment’s effects depend on the cause of the muscle tension and pain. If the cause is structural such as with scoliosis or compressed discs, muscle tension is something that can be used to manage effects long term and keep discomfort at bay. Reducing pain in these cases can also complement physiotherapy really well as it helps to keep muscle tissue as healthy as possible.
If you are experiencing stubborn muscle and pain, trigger point therapy is a great place to start and can provide you with some immediate relief. Call The IV at 604-974-8999 to book in with Dr. Brett Simpson, ND for a naturopathic visit and see if this treatment is right for you.
