Trigger Points and Referred Pain Guide

[dmaipa]

Hey MAB,

I came across this site I felt it would a good idea to share it with everyone. We all get some chronic pain every so often from training and this site gives you a good guide to find where the pain is and what trigger points need to be released. This will be helpful to take care of some nagging aches and pains as well as great for recovery. Remember if get injured you can't train, if you can't train, you can't get swole!

Trigger Points and Referred Pain Guide

[BendtheBar]

Sticky.

[Fazc]

Hopefully this will help someone at some point. This is a copy of an email i've sent to a few of my lifting buddies over the years, when they've had back troubles. Feedback has been good, I know it has saved my lifting at least a few times, also it just generally feels good and is a cheap way to 'physio' your own back.

I wrote this 7-8 years ago now so if you have any Q's let me know. It is a difficult technique to get right at first but the results are worth it.

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For your intents and purposes trigger points are small areas in a muscle which house pain, either direct pain or 'referred' pain. What you need to do with trigger point therapy (TPA) is to ease and dissipate that pain. Using a 'bodo' (the sawed off end of a broom handle will do) you apply pressure to these points and thus releive the tension.

This is a VERY basic overview, as all im doing is explaining for practical purposes, ie. getting you back in the gym

Look at the attachment, from this sketch you should be able to see where the trigger points lie. Most of them are on your back, (use the L and R to determine what side your working on)

1, 2, 3, these points are on your back to the right of your belt line, at the exact equator of your belt line

4 is exactly to your side on your belt line

5 is on your front just above the groin region on your
belt line.

6 is on your right hamstring

7 is on your middle back to your left side

8 is on your upper back to the right side, near your
shoulder blade

9, 10, 11, 12 are along your right upper trap.

You MUST work these points in the order ive written

PAIN - Heres the clever bit, so pay atention, when you press the bodo against the points you are looking for a VERY SPECIFIC type of pain, it will be a VERY sharp pain, akin to someone stabbing you with a needle, It will hurt. Get used to it. It will take some experimentation to know exacly where these points are as your body is individual, you will know when you have found the point though because you should experience the VERY SHARP pain that i have described.

It is ESSENTIAL you find this type of pain i describe and ONLY this type of pain, if you dont and are just pressing against muscle, it may hurt a little but
youll be wasting your time

7 seconds - when you have found this pain, then press HARD as you can stand for 7 seconds and SLOWLY release.

Do this for every point in the order i said.

After you have done this and assuming you have put into practice what i said about the pain, then you will ALREADY be feeling better.

Stretching - Next up come the strecthes, just as important.

1 - Get on your back and bring up one leg and clutch it to your chest, strecth for a while, then do the same with the other.

2 - Lie on your side, and bend and bring your leg up and clutch it to your chest, repeat with other stretch

3 - Cat stretch - Position yourself on your hands and knees, let your belly sag SLOWLY ease your self and let your weight drop all the while keeping your arms locked.

4 - From the prev stretch now arch your back and hold

5 - Lie on your front and try to bring up your elbows and lean on them, dont force it. You should be lying on your front and leaning on your elbows. Let your back sag GENTLY.

Get up, you should be feeling at least a little bit better. This can be repeated as many times as your skin allow during the week. More is better here.

[kitarpyar]

Nice write up Fazc. I am going to save this one for future reference.

[BendtheBar]

Great read. I am merging with this sticky:

Trigger Points and Referred Pain Guide

[HIThopper]

Great, great posts!

[Ballasy]

god post