The term “Trigger point” was coined by Dr. Janet Travell in the 1940’s.  It was Dr. Travell who was responsible for the most detailed and important work on this subject.  Her treatment was credited for keeping President John F. Kennedy on his feet and functioning in spite of often debilitating back pain and she was asked to become the first female personal physician to the president.  Dr. Travell initially published the first volume of The Trigger Point Manual in 1983.  Her subsequent work and collaborations with Dr. David Simon, have produced the most thorough and scholarly body of knowledge on the subject of Trigger Point Pain and treatment protocol.
 

Trigger points are described as hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle that are associated with tiny nodules in tight bands of muscle fibers.  These nodules are often referred to as “knots” and are a common cause of pain.  Compression of a trigger point may elicit local tenderness, referred pain or local twitch response.  The foremost authority on trigger points has estimated that a whopping 75% of all pain clinic patients have a trigger point as the sole source of their pain!

A trigger point is diffused with application of static pressure or compression during a period of about 10 seconds, released then reapplied for 10 more seconds to produce a pumping action while the client breathes deeply.  This action helps the muscle to relax and the fibers to separate, flushing the area of waste products and releasing natural endorphins and bringing about a pleasant feeling of relief.

Trigger Point massage is not a “fluff and buff” technique.  Although it can result in relief of chronic pain patterns, there is some discomfort which is produced initially in the process of resolving the cause of the problem.  The recipient and the therapist actually work in partnership and communication between the two is essential to the success of this treatment.

Although trigger points can theoretically occur anywhere along the length of a muscle, there are certain points in each muscle which are more frequently prone to develop these extremely sensitive “knots” and this knowledge and research has developed into a system or model which has been studied and practiced by bodywork specialists such as massage therapists, chiropractors, dentists, naturopaths, physiotherapists and some veterinarians.  Although there are notable exceptions such as physiatrists (MD’s who specialize in physical medicine and rehab), the medical community at large is uninformed about the patterns of trigger point pain diagnosis and theory, as it is not taught in medical school curricula.    Physicians are therefore prone to misdiagnose pain as carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, arthritis, Sciatica, TMJ, etc. that is actually often caused by trigger point pain patterns.