Trigger Points and its Management

1. What is trigger point?

• Trigger points or muscle knots are sensitive spot in soft tissue, which get irritated due to physical or mental stress.
• Physical stress like for example:-

• Over-activity of muscles, Wrong technique or poor posture in work place, gym or in any sports etc.
• Mental stress likes for example; - overthinking, Anxiety can induce this trigger points which will cause sudden pain on local spot.
• Sometimes this trigger point pain can be a referred pain of many major problems like for example: - Sciatica pain which starts from lower back runs down till foot can be cause due to tigger point in Glutes area of piriformis muscles, harmstring and Calf muscles.

2. What do you mean by poor posture and how to correct it?

• The posture of everyday routine like sleeping, standing, sitting, running etc. can be a root cause of many muscular problems.
• Standing for too long can increase blood pool in the veins of the legs which will increase oxidative stress and risks of heart diseases.
• Sitting for too long can also lead to heart diseases and sitting for one hour is equivalent to smoking 3 cigarettes which means it is also very risky for overall health.
• Attempting poor posture in gym can lead due to spine or bone fractures and ligament problems too.
• Solution of this all is to keep changing posture in duration of 30 minutes so that posture can stimulate muscular system to push back the blood into cardiovascular system.
• Normal stretching exercise for 15-20 minutes daily can help alot.

3. What is the solution for trigger points?

• Physiotherapy helps alot in these types of pain.
• Stretching can help to maintain the flexibility of muscular structures.
• Deep tissue massage can also help to a great extent.
• Myofascial release or trigger pint therapy through

IASTM (Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilisation) or Myofascial decompression therapy or

Dry cupping therapy can increase blood circulation in trigger area to decrease the pain and improving muscular properties.

• Dry needling therapy can solve the trigger points by introducing Acupuncture needles into trigger point area and by fishing technique it can disintegrate the knots. After which strengthen the muscular part can increase the Range of motion and decrease the Pain into large extend.

• Best of all this treatments is it doesn’t include any medications.
• It is all done by a trained Physiotherapist/ certified Dry needling practitioner.
• Kinesiology taping therapy can also give support by improving blood circulation and increasing in tissue space.
• Last but not least keep drinking water and keep your body hydrate because 70% of our fascia needs water to work smoothly.

About The Author

Dr. Prateek Vyas

As a Physiotherapist, he has a quality work experience in different categories like sports, musculoskeletal conditions, orthopaedic conditions, etc.  He also organises phys.. Read More..

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