Benefits and History of Clinical Trigger Point Therapy Massage

Although not considered a part of conventional medicine, trigger point therapy has been widely used for decades. Sometimes referred to as myotherapy or neuromuscular therapy, the therapy involves using concentrated pressure on specific 'trigger points' within affected muscles to relieve pain and treat muscle spasms.

A trigger point is a malfunction of an area of muscle fibers. The fibers undergo a strong sustained contraction at the nerve/fiber junction of the innervating nerve. It is the malfunctioning of the nerve junction that produces tension and pain, either locally within that muscle or referred pain to other areas of the body. The locations and associated referral areas of these malfunctions are consistent from person to person. The therapist applies pressure to specific points, in a particular order to properly affect a change, releasing malfunctioning fibers and relieving the associated pain and/or tension.

Some in the medical community are beginning to acknowledge the validity of this manual therapy. Patients dealing with chronic pain have also reported vast improvement in their conditions. However, the overall benefits of this therapy extend beyond pain relief. These benefits include increased flexibility, improved circulation, better range of motion, reduced stiffness or muscle tension and fewer headaches.

American physicians Dr. Janet Travell and Dr. David Simons are widely credited with developing many of the theories of trigger point therapy. Dr. Travell treated US President John F. Kennedy for back pain leading to her becoming his personal physician. Having published a number of papers on the subject, Dr. Travell wrote and published Volume 1 of The Trigger Point Manual, later continuing her work with her colleague Dr. Simons to publish the manual's second volume, released in 1992.

The Institute of Trigger Point Therapy was founded in 2001 by Dr. Laura Perry and her husband Jeff Geanangel. Frustrated with the current state of the health care industry, the two sought to establish an alternative option for general public that would offer highly effective clinical services in a less formal setting. Based on the work of Drs. Simons and Travell, Dr. Perry developed the Institute's protocols for Clinical Trigger Point Therapy and a curriculum for educating therapists in this most effective treatments.

Dr. Perry's approach is based on the premise that:

1. Pain is a message.
2. One must learn to "speak the language" of pain to understand its message. And
3. If one acts on this understanding [of pain], the "message" will be received and the pain will cease.

Clinical Trigger Point Therapy is the application of the peer reviewed science of Drs Simons and Travell combined with the real world practice and further development of Dr. Laura Perry to form a system that is comprehensive and effective approach to relieving physical pain.