First of all, what exactly is Trigger Point Therapy? Well, trigger point therapy is basically a type of massage therapy that is used to relieve pain by massaging the ‘tight knots’ of the muscles. The muscle knots that are usually the tightest are the neck, shoulder, back and leg muscles. The purpose is to relieve the tension of the muscles in our body.
Instead of just treating the surface pain of inflammation, this therapy focuses on eliminating the painful area by finding, and relieving the pressure points.
The continuous pain and discomfort that we feel in our body like muscle tension, numbness, joint stiffness, hypersensitivity, muscle weakness are usually cause by the trigger points. So we need to find these trigger points and deactivate them in order to relieve the pain.
Those who are not used to this kind of therapy may experience soreness for a few days. Remember to stretch out the muscles often to prevent them from tightening up again.
There are several types of tools which you can use for this therapy. We are going to go through some of them here.
1. Thera Cane
Thera Cane is one of the most popular tools for trigger point massaging. It is made of fiber glass and can’t be broken or bent. This tool will make it easier for you to locate and massage the more tender areas which you cannot reach by hand. However, one downside of this tool is that it is usually come in one piece and can’t be taken apart.
2. Backnobber Tool
The backnobber works very similar like the Thera Cane. One advantage of the backnobber is that it usually can be taken apart so it is easy for you to store and carry around. This tool is perfect for those who travel a lot.
3. Lacrosse Balls
Yup you read that right. Lacrosse balls can be very useful for massaging your back muscles. You can use these by leaning them against the wall with your back. They can penetrate the trigger points at the back of your body.