Product Description

Trigger point therapy is one of the most intriguing and fastest-growing bodywork styles in the world. Medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists are all beginning to use this technique to relieve formerly undiagnosable muscle and joint pain—conditions that studies have shown to be the cause of nearly 25 percent of all doctor visits. The technique involves applying short, repeated massage strokes to trigger points, tiny contraction knots in muscle tissue where restricted circulation and lack of oxygen cause referred pain. Trigger points create pain throughout the body in predictable patterns characteristic to each muscle, producing discomfort ranging from mild to severe. Trigger point massage increases circulation and oxygenation in the area and often produces instant relief. This dynamic technique has made a huge impact among health professionals and the public alike, becoming an overnight classic in the field of pain relief. The!
book has sold over 145,000 copies since the release of the first edition in 2001. The second edition is a complete update and includes a new chapter specifically for massage professionals, as well as a chapter on systematic muscle relaxation techniques that can reinforce the therapeutic power of trigger point work.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2058 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 323 pages

Customer Reviews

One of the best books on the subject but beware
In terms of learning the trigger points and the problems they relate to this is an excellent book.

But beware that the author is somewhat overenthused about trigger points and their efficacy. Like many people who specialise in one area, he has come to believe that virtually any disease relates to trigger points and can be cured by treating them. He even starts talking about curing Dyslexia....

Not even all muscle pain is trigger point related. There are many interacting parameters like joint instability, arthritis, other soft-tissue injury, posture, learned responses etc etc. The book may help some but not others.

However, if you are interested in TPs then this IS the book to buy,.

Good self-help tool.
I consider this book to be a useful self-help tool for treating trigger points, or irritable spots in the muscle. It has many, many pictures which help guide the reader to common places in the muscles where these things are at. From there, you can use a ball, massage them with your fingers, or even use this tool called a Thera-Cane to get to those hard to reach places.

All in all a handy book for treating trigger points, another good lesson here is that sometimes muscle trigger points can mimick more serious ailments, when the problem is really just in the muscle. Also recommend The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution if you suffer from plantar fasciitis pain.

Excellent, but be prepared to work hard
Once you flip through the pages of California-style introduction and background this is a straightforward, detailed, guide to the things that go wrong with muscles and how you might be able to fix them. But unless you are already familiar with muscles (I wasn't) be prepared to put in a lot of time and effort to locate the trigger points causing problems, and then to treat them. And to think about the original cause of the problem (eg computer use) and how to stop the problem recurring. I also agree with another reviewer who noted that the author too readily gives the impression that any problem can be cured by trigger point massage. However, as it costs nothing and is very unlikely to do any harm, give it a go. I found several trigger points which are undoubtedly giving me pain after the first few hours of reading the book. If you can work with a partner, it's better, but if, like me, you have weak and painful hands and wrists, do pay attention to the author's advice on how to avoid making them worse by doing massage the wrong way.