Are Trigger Points Holding You Back?
Many people are unaware of what a trigger point is and are unaware that they may even have one lurking about. It could be that they are preventing you from hitting your goals in the gym or are literally impacting on your lifestyle.
So what is a trigger point?
On the inside of your body is a layer of tissue that surrounds the muscles, this is called myofascia. If the muscle is placed under too much stress from overuse or a trauma to the area occurs this can cause the myofascial tissue to tear and then adhere back together, resulting in the formation of a ‘trigger point’. This causes a lack of blood flow to that particular part of the muscle. Don’t be fooled though inactivity can also be a common cause, as a sudden movement in an inactive person can bring on a sudden tear.
So how do you know it’s there?
Trigger points can have a variety of symptoms. Initially there will be a dull achy pain; this will be an area that is tender to touch when pressure is applied too. Often when pressed on the pain may refer to other areas of the body. For example many people that suffer from re-occurring headaches often have a trigger point that is located at the base of the neck or in the shoulder. This is known as the active stage of a trigger point and you will be aware of some sort of ongoing pain or problem in your body. However eventually a trigger point will go into a Latent stage, this is when you may not be aware that it’s even there. This will have no pain sensation until pressure is applied to the area. The symptoms may present itself as a weakness or stiffness in the muscle, or a restricted range of motion, so a lack of flexibility can be a key indicator. Many people go years without realising that they have a latent ‘trigger point’.
Trigger points can occur all over the body and can occur at any point in your life. So if you think you may have a trigger point that’s causing you hassle come book in for a therapy session and we’ll see if we can sort you out.