PULLING THE TRIGGER AT TRIGGER POINTS: MYOFASCIAL PAIN SYNDROME AND MUSCLE KNOTS

Myofascial pain syndrome is a medical term used to describe chronic muscle pain and inflammation to the body's soft tissues. Specifically, it affects the fascia or the protective covering of the muscles. It can develop in a single muscle or may involve an entire muscle group.

Causes and Risk Factors

MPS can develop in the muscles due to injuries, overuse, or even psychological stress. 

• Acute muscle injury. Muscle injury results in muscle guarding where the muscle is held in a sustained posture to protect the associated area from getting more painful. However, this results in tightening of the muscle and then MPS.
• Recurrent muscle overload. Repetitive motions and poor posture can strain the myofascial unit, leading to overuse, muscle injury, and development of trigger points. Jobs requiring repetitive physical work or prolonged static posture, such as working on a computer all day, are at high risks.
• Stress and anxiety. These behavioral issues can cause a person to repeatedly clench and unclench their muscles, causing repeated strain, which makes them more prone to MPS and trigger points.

What Are the Symptoms of Myofascial Pain?

• Deep, aching pain in a muscle
• Pain that persists or worsens
• Difficulty sleeping due to pain
• A tender knot in a muscle—the trigger points

The Trigger Points

Muscle knots, also known as trigger points, are hard, sensitive areas of tight muscles that form after injuries or overuse. It’s a small patch of tightly contracted muscles, described as micro-cramps. It tightens and contracts even when the muscle is at rest and causes strain and pain throughout the muscle. The persistence of symptoms and its widespread nature lead to myofascial pain syndrome.

In people with MPS, “trigger points” develop in the taut bands of any muscles - the fascia. Direct application of pressure on these hypersensitive spots results in jump sign, local tenderness, local twitch response and referred pain, or the pain  which occur in other, more distant parts of the body.

• Jump sign reflects the intense pain and tenderness of a trigger point. Compressing it can cause an individual to be startled by the extreme pain.
• Local twitch response is the visible or palpable contraction of muscle and skin as the tense taut band contracts when pressure is applied.
• Referred pain is pain felt distant from the spot where pressure is applied.

Muscle knots or trigger points result from three muscle overload: acute, sustained and repetitive. These overload cause abnormal release of chemical substances called acetylcholine, which causes localized muscle contraction. The whole process creates tension resulting in muscle knots and evolving to trigger points.

Treatment for MPS

• Medications include pain relievers, antidepressants and sedatives, and trigger point injection in severe cases.
• Physical therapy includes ultrasound, heat therapy, electrotherapy, and stretching of the affected muscle.
• Aerobic exercise may help to stretch the muscles and increases their blood supply.
• Myofascial release or trigger point pressure release softens knots and releases tension.
• Massage therapy increases circulation and improves blood flow to loosen up tensed muscles. 

Releasing Muscle Knots with  Recovapro’s Vibration Therapy 

It all starts with a modern recovery tool, like theRecovapro massage gun.

One of the best ways to deal with muscle knots is through deep tissue massage. With trigger point massage tools like the Recovapromassage guns, you can essentially break up the tension that builds up in the muscle and fascia using therapeutic vibration. The power massager changes the way people massage knots due to the incredible power of self-application. With the ability to reach deep into muscles, the Recovapro massage gun can help relieve triggerpoint pain quickly, efficiently, and at a fraction of the price of ongoing treatment with a massage therapist.

Trigger Point Techniques and Fascia Release Techniques

• Local compression of a trigger point
• Local manual stretching of the taut bands and adjacent parts
• Manual release of the connective tissue and fascia surrounding the trigger point
• Intramuscular mobilization

***The above techniques and effects may be accomplished using the variety of attachments provided byRecovaproand calibrated at the required intensity via its 5-level speed and power settings.

Trigger Pointing Massage withRecovapro

• Begin by applying light stroking of the muscle with theRecovapro round head attachment. This serves as a warm-up to tone down the muscle prior to the trigger pointing procedure. Cover the entire muscle area before switching to trigger pointing session.
• After inserting the bullet head attachment, apply localized compression over each trigger point until a release is felt or a “local twitch response” is observed.
• End with light stroking of the round head for the cool down.

Recovapro massage gun is a cutting edge device that features Smart Glide Technology and Smart Touch Technology, making trigger pointing massage sessions comfortable and the quietest therapy experience. It combines power, performance, and effectivity, as it delivers the most effective percussive vibration treatment for everyone.

TheRecovapro massage gun is an innovative massager device that is lightweight, cordless, and improved for self-myofascial release applications. It loosens and releases trigger points or tender areas as fast as 30 seconds.

For more effective trigger pointing, you can also use a self-myofascial release tool like the RecovaBall.