75% of pain is caused by trigger points (areas of contracted cells in muscle tissue), but they are drastically under-diagnosed as the source of pain. Trigger points may refer pain and other symptoms both in the local area and/or to other areas of the body, but since over 74% of trigger points are not located in the area where you feel pain, treating the local area does not resolve the problem most of the time. The most common "referral patterns" have been well documented and diagrammed over decades of research. The introductory chapter of this book includes general guidelines for self-help techniques and muscle care. Chapter 2 contains a diagram of a body divided into zones, with a list of muscles that may contain trigger points which are referring pain and other symptoms to each zone, so that you will know which subsequent chapters you need to read. The second edition has an added extensive Appendix on perpetuating factors that will cause trigger points to form in any of the muscles of the body. By using the "Pain Guides," you can go to each chapter that may harbor trigger points that are the source of your pain. You'll find illustrations of common pain referral patterns that you can compare with your symptoms, and this will help you figure out where the common trigger points causing your pain are likely located. Along with outlining the common symptoms and causes for trigger points for each muscle, there are lists of "helpful hints" for resolving trigger points. Self-help techniques are written out and accompanied by detailed photos to guide you through the techniques. In addition to shoulder pain and frozen shoulder, conditions such as rotator cuff injuries, thoracic outlet syndrome, and head forward posture are addressed. This book draws on the decades of research by Doctors Janet Travell and David G. Simons, combined with the 29 years of clinical experience of Acupuncturist, Neuromuscular Therapist, and author Valerie DeLaune, LAc.

Trigger point therapy is one of the fastest-growing and most effective pain therapies in the world. Medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists are all beginning to use this technique to relieve patients’ formerly undiagnosable muscle and joint pain, both conditions that studies have shown to be the cause of nearly 25 percent of all doctor visits. This book addresses the problem of myofascial trigger points—tiny contraction knots that develop in a muscle when it is injured or overworked. Restricted circulation and lack of oxygen in these points cause referred pain. Massage of the trigger is the safest, most natural, and most effective form of pain therapy. Trigger points create pain throughout the body in predictable patterns characteristic to each muscle, producing discomfort ranging from mild to severe. Trigger point massage increases circulation and oxygenation in the area and often produces instant relief. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, Third Edition, has made a huge impact among health professionals and the public alike, becoming an overnight classic in the field of pain relief. This edition includes a new chapter by the now deceased author, Clair Davies’ daughter, Amber Davies, who is passionate about continuing her father’s legacy. The new edition also includes postural assessments and muscle tests, an illustrated index of symptoms, and clinical technique drawings and descriptions to assist both practitioners and regular readers in assessing and treating trigger points. If you have ever suffered from, or have treated someone who suffers from myofascial trigger point pain, this is a must-have book.

From the renowned author of the best-selling Trigger Point Therapy Workbook comes this first-ever book of self-care techniques for frozen shoulder, a very common painful and mobility-restricting condition.

75% of pain is caused by trigger points (areas of contracted cells in muscle tissue), but they are drastically under-diagnosed as the source of pain. Trigger points may refer pain and other symptoms both in the local area and/or to other areas of the body, but since over 74% of trigger points are not located in the area where you feel pain, treating the local area does not resolve the problem most of the time. The most common "referral patterns" have been well documented and diagrammed over decades of research. The introductory chapter of this book includes general guidelines for self-help techniques and muscle care. Chapter 2 contains a diagram of a body divided into zones, with a list of muscles that may contain trigger points which are referring pain and other symptoms to each zone, so that you will know which subsequent chapters you need to read. The second edition has an added extensive Appendix on perpetuating factors that will cause trigger points to form in any of the muscles of the body. By using the "Pain Guides," you can go to each chapter that may harbor trigger points that are the source of your pain. You'll find illustrations of common pain referral patterns that you can compare with your symptoms, and this will help you figure out where the common trigger points causing your pain are likely located. Along with outlining the common symptoms and causes for trigger points for each muscle, there are lists of "helpful hints" for resolving trigger points. Self-help techniques are written out and accompanied by detailed photos to guide you through the techniques. In addition to mid to upper back and neck pain, conditions such as trapezius pain, neck stiffness and lack of range of motion, head-forward posture, and improper breathing are addressed. This book draws on the decades of research by Doctors Janet Travell and David G. Simons, combined with the 29 years of clinical experience of Acupuncturist, Neuromuscular Therapist, and author Valerie DeLaune, LAc.

75% of pain is caused by trigger points, but they are drastically under-diagnosed. Trigger points may refer pain and other symptoms both in the local area and/or to other areas of the body, but since over 74% of trigger points are not located in the area where you feel pain, treating the local area does not resolve the problem most of the time.

75% of pain is caused by trigger points (areas of contracted cells in muscle tissue), but they are drastically under-diagnosed as the source of pain. Trigger points may refer pain and other symptoms both in the local area and/or to other areas of the body, but since over 74% of trigger points are not located in the area where you feel pain, treating the local area does not resolve the problem most of the time. The most common "referral patterns" have been well documented and diagrammed over decades of research. The introductory chapter of this book includes general guidelines for self-help techniques and muscle care. Chapter 2 contains a diagram of a body divided into zones, with a list of muscles that may contain trigger points which are referring pain and other symptoms to each zone, so that you will know which subsequent chapters you need to read. The second edition has an added extensive Appendix on perpetuating factors that will cause trigger points to form in any of the muscles of the body. By using the "Pain Guides," you can go to each chapter that may harbor trigger points that are the source of your pain. You'll find illustrations of common pain referral patterns that you can compare with your symptoms, and this will help you figure out where the common trigger points causing your pain are likely located. Along with outlining the common symptoms and causes for trigger points for each muscle, there are lists of "helpful hints" for resolving trigger points. Self-help techniques are written out and accompanied by detailed photos to guide you through the techniques. In addition to shoulder pain and frozen shoulder, conditions such as rotator cuff injuries, thoracic outlet syndrome, and head forward posture are addressed. This book draws on the decades of research by Doctors Janet Travell and David G. Simons, combined with the 29 years of clinical experience of Acupuncturist, Neuromuscular Therapist, and author Valerie DeLaune, LAc.

This book is about empowerment for chronic pain patients and care providers alike. Every chronic pain condition has a treatable myofascial trigger point component, including fibromyalgia. Many of the localized symptoms now considered as fibromyalgia are actually due to trigger points. The central sensitization of fibromyalgia amplifies symptoms that trigger points cause, and this book teaches care providers and patients how to identify and treat those causes. Chronic myofascial pain due to trigger points can be body-wide, and can cause or maintain fibromyalgia central sensitization. Trigger points can cause and/or maintain or contribute to many types of pain and dysfunction, including numbness and tingling, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, osteoarthritis, cognitive dysfunctions and disorientation, impotence, incontinence, loss of voice, pelvic pain, muscle weakness, menstrual pain, TMJ dysfunction, shortness of breath, and many symptoms attributed to old age or "atypical" or psychological sources. Trigger point therapy has been around for decades, but only recently have trigger points been imaged at the Mayo Clinic and National Institutes of Health. Their ubiquity and importance is only now being recognized. Devin Starlanyl is a medically trained chronic myofascial pain and fibromyalgia researcher and educator, as well as a patient with both of these conditions. She has provided chronic pain education and support to thousands of patients and care providers around the world for decades. John Sharkey is a physiologist with more than twenty-seven years of anatomy experience, and the director of a myofascial pain facility. Together they have written a comprehensive reference to trigger point treatment to help patients with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and many other conditions. This guide will be useful for all types of doctors, nurses, therapists, bodyworkers, and lay people, facilitating communication between care providers and patients and empowering patients who now struggle with all kinds of misunderstood and unexplained symptoms. Part 1 explains what trigger points are and how they generate symptoms, refer pain and other symptoms to other parts of the body, and create a downward spiral of dysfunction. The authors look at the interconnection between fibromyalgia and myofascial trigger points and their possible causes and symptoms; identify stressors that perpetuate trigger points such as poor posture, poor breathing habits, nutritional inadequacies, lack of sleep, and environmental and psychological factors; and provide a list of over one hundred pain symptoms and their most common corresponding trigger point sources. Part 2 describes the sites of trigger points and their referral patterns within each region of the body, and provides pain relief solutions for fibromyalgia and trigger point patients and others with debilitating symptoms. Pain treatment plans include both self-help remedies for the patient—stretching or postural exercises, self-massage techniques and prevention strategies—as well as diagnostic and treatment hints for care providers. Part 3 offers guidance for both patients and care providers in history taking, examination, and palpation skills, as well as treatment options. It offers a vision for the future that includes early assessment, adequate medical training, prevention of fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, changes to chronic pain management and possible solutions to the health care crisis, and a healthier version of our middle age and golden years, asserting that patients have a vital role to play in the management of their own health.