TRIGGER POINT THERAPY / SOFT TISSUE THERAPY
Trigger points are described as tight, tender, nodules or bands that are felt in muscle tissue. These may cause local pain or pain that is felt in a different area of the body, with or without direct touching of the actual trigger point. They are often responsible for severe headaches, shoulder pain, arm pain, back pain, and leg pain. Trigger points can cause over-activity of some muscle or inhibit the function of other muscles, altering posture and mechanics. They can greatly influence joint function and have tremendous pain generating capabilities. Addressing soft tissue function is an absolutely critical key in all cases.
The skeletal muscle system accounts for about 50% of the human body’s weight and has tremendous capability of generating local and referred pain. According to two medical doctors (Travell, Simons) who spent their lives studying the phenomenon of myofascial pain and the local and referred pain that trigger points may cause in other areas of the body, they acknowledge modern medical schools and texts largely neglect this as one of the most common causes of pain. They estimate based on large studies of patients seeking care in pain centers that pain due to trigger points may be responsible for 85-93% of pain complaints. They conclude that this has led to hundred of millions of dollars spent on unnecessarily on ineffective health care and lost work productivity annually due to unrecognized and inappropriately treated pain. This has also led to excessive dependence on over the counter pain relievers and very commonly drug induced kidney, liver, or gastrointestinal disease.
Dr. Foveaux and Dr. Tharman have spent years studying and applying techniques to properly diagnose and treat myofascial pain and keep it from coming back. They are trained and skilled in the following:
- Active release therapy and Myofascial release techniques
- Post-Isometric Release/Relaxation
- Proprioceptive-Neuromuscular-Facilitation
- Ischemic Compression, Cross-Friction Massage
- Instrument Assisted Fascial Release for chronic tendinosis of the knee, shoulder, or ankle
- Trigger point dry needling with or without electrical stimulation