Trigger Point Therapy

by Lizabeth Franklin

The discomfort in my hip started about one year ago when my dog unexpectedly took off to the left while the leash was attached to my waist, and I was standing still. In the effort to keep my balance, I jerked in opposition to the force pulling me and reawakened an old hip pain, which was originally caused by a fall from my horse onto an Irish bog field some years ago.

My hip and SI joint are sensitive to postural positioning and pressure. Over the course of the last several months, I noticed an increase in the pain whenever I drove my car. The rolled edge of my seat in the car was causing the trigger points up and down my vastus lateralis to fire and refer pain into all my hip rotators and my tibialis anterior.

This gave distracted driving new meaning!

I took my knowledge gained from my study and teaching of trigger points and applied it to my self-care.  The Trigger Point treatment was very multi-dimensional. I combined static pressure, myofascial release and textured rolling devices, stretching, and postural changes.

I only had 31,000 miles on my car, but the reality of increased time spent in the car forced me to trade it in. I am glad to say that aside from some residual discomfort now and then I am well on my way to being totally pain free. I maintain a regime of rolling, static compression, and strengthening exercises.  And the leather seats in my new car don’t hurt!

Stories like mine are so common that it really underlines the necessity for massage therapists to learn Trigger Point Therapy to better serve their clients – it is truly invaluable.

Learn more at the Trigger Point Therapy workshop with Lizabeth Franklin on June 14. CLICK HERE to register today!