A Trigger Point is a point in a muscle that has become sensitive and irritable. Usually a Trigger point will be found in a tight/stiff band of Muscle and can be found in any muscle in the body. A Trigger Point is sensitive to touch, will usually have a pattern of pain referred to another part of the body and can create a chronic shortening of the affected muscle. Trigger Points are often responsible for many chronic pain syndromes such as torticollis, headaches, back pain, knee pain, and postural stress. A massage therapist can use many different techniques to treat a Trigger Point.

At Kitchener Massage Therapy I use a few different Deep Tissue Massage techniques like muscle stripping, direct pressure held for up to a minute and stretching. It is uncomfortable to have a Trigger Point worked out but the relief you get from the headache, sore back or whatever it is you are experiencing can be great. My clients often describe the pain from Trigger Point work as a `good pain`. I think this stems from the fact that someone has finally been able to pin point and address the source of their discomfort after what could have been many years.

You can see in the cart below how a Trigger Point in the middle of your back (Lower Trapezius) can acutely create a headache at the base of you skull. It is very common to have pain referred from one spot in your body to another. I use the Trigger Point Charts in my office to locate, connect and treat the source of a client’s pain all the time.

Trigger Point Chart, Kitchener Massage Therapy

Exactly what a Trigger Point is has not yet been described by science. There are many theory’s out there, some more relevant than others. After studying and treating Trigger Points for many years I have put together some of the varying thought on Trigger Points to be able to describe it to my clients. I have put together this video where I describe what a Trigger Point is in my view.