| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| gigalos |
Posted - 02/15/2013 : 07:31:00
(I write this based on what I learned from reading about TP's and applying TP-treatment to myself and others, I am not an expert. Please rectify if necessary.)
Trigger points in muscles are tiny contracted area's of muscle fibers. They give pain on the spot and/or in other locations. For example, a trigger point in one of the muscles in your neck can give you a head ache. A triggerpoint in one of the shoulder muscles can give you pain in your arm. Triggerpoints can turn on triggerpoints in the area that it gives pain (secondary tp), causing even more problems (domino effect). For example, trigger point neck muscle causes trigger point jaw muscle causes painful teeth (no joke).
Triggerpoints are found at locations in a muscle there where the nerves connect to the muscle. It is said that a constant firing of these nerves keep the triggerpoint contracted. By putting moderate pressure on it for 10s - 2min. or by stroking it in a certain way the contraction will slowly subside and the pain will too. It is either by disrupting the nerve firing and/or by pressing away the waste products in the contracted area.
If you apply the TMS theory to trigger points, it is just another (simple) mechanism that the brain can use to create physical pain and discomfort. I used to apply TP before I ran into TMS. It somehow helped me, but any locations that got better flared up again or TP's started to appear elsewhere. So it releaved in a way, but I never got it sorted completely.
Now that I apply the mind technique and have not used TP-treatment for about two weeks, I can now conclude that I feel I have no need for it any longer. Sometimes pains flare up, but they usually subside within a minute or a day at the longest. I only have a stuborn pain in my groin that will not yet subside to my liking, but I start to notice that the amount of pain is related to any stress I experience. So I probably need to be patient about that one.
Please beware, with trigger points I don't mean the tender points that exist with fybromyalgia, although I wouldn't be surprised to find a correlation... |
| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| gigalos |
Posted - 02/15/2013 : 16:22:59
It is striking that when it comes to TMS, most people in the medical field tend to come up with all kinds of difficult explanations, even when the most simple and straightforward explanation is offered to them on a silver tray. It takes an openminded, unselfish and courageous person to accept it. So I don't blame them, as most people tend to lack one or more of these properties. If I come up with this theory and I get a dissaproving signal, I stop trying. It won't get me anywhere.
I was surprised that my neurologist somehow accepted the TMS theory. He encouraged me to proceed.
I was surprised that my physician told me in his own kinda rude manner that he suspected a physical cause. I reluctantly agreed but in the end it got me to discover TMS.
My physiotherapist also points to bad posture, although he was also aware of my anxious/tensed character and tried to make me feel less tense by talking about positive things. So he kind of knows the relation between tp's and stress, but always tended to see posture or lack of activity as the main culprit. I think in his case it is too much in contradiction with what he has been doing for more than 30 years, but maybe he just lacks the knowledge of mindbody-symptoms.
litte sidestep, but a fine example of business-protection:
I once told my dentist that I could get rid of my painful upper teeth by releasing a pressure point in my temporalis. She acknowledged it but was not at all interested in how I did it. Even when I told her how simple the technique was and everyone could do it with the simplest of instructions. I therefore doubt she would tell other patients as 'treating' these problems with expensive coatings is part of her income. This woman knows the real cause of many sensitive teeth problems, but was just protecting her business. It gave me double the pleasure afterwards when somebody complained about sensitive teeth to teach him/her the tp-technique.  |
| Birdie78 |
Posted - 02/15/2013 : 13:59:18
Oh, I know exactly what you are talking about....these nasty, little, mean trigger points! I had and still have them nearly all over my body (legs, buttocks, both arms all over). Dry needling always helped...but as soon as some of these TPs got "needled away" they popped up at another place of my body to continue their trigger point party (I could hear them screaming: "hey, the more of us there are, the funnier it gets, let's party!").
I tried to convince my MDs several times that these TPs are part of my inner tension and the big picture called TMS. The reactions were nearly always the same (some seemed to be more open to the TMS model than others): "oh no, look there, you can feel these knotty structures, stress can be one side effect, but these TPs were caused by repititive one-way motions, false posture and a lack of physical activity! Perhaps there're still other unknown factors which keep them running, but I don't think that stress or the psyche is the core problem!"
Kind regards from Germany sends Birdie |
| gigalos |
Posted - 02/15/2013 : 13:23:16
That spot you mention is second on my list of weak points, the left shoulder blade. It tends to get numb also. Typical :)
Take care and stay in touch |
| redraider2k |
Posted - 02/15/2013 : 08:56:42
Gigalos - I agree 100%. I have been receiving TP therapy for a few months and had the exact same results. I just recently started focusing on TMS and TP seem to be getting better. I could have written the exact same post as your's except my persistant TP is in my left shoulder blade.
Know that someone else is experiencing the exact same process with TPs will help reinforce my focus on TMS. Thanks! |
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