Triggerpoint massage for pain relief
There are hundreds of trigger points in your body and when these trigger points have direct and steady pressure applied you can find relief in the muscle, as well as in the referred pain areas. As a massage therapist, you can use a golf ball to do this.
Now relaxing your muscles knots doesn’t happen overnight. Even if your muscles loosen up a bit they can go back to contracting again. Muscles have memory. This is why massage therapists want you to come back to see them more often at first until your muscles can be “trained” to be relaxed.
The trigger point chart shows the trigger points (indicated with a golf ball) as well as their referred pain areas (shown in the green). If you have pain in the green area, push and massage the area where the golf ball is.
Heather Karr
Heather Karr wants to share with you a number of VERY important triggerpoints (indicated by a golf ball, of course!) When these trigger points show direct and constant pressure, you can bring relief to the pain areas in question. This also shows WHY they love golf balls in massage therapy!
At these points the muscle tension is higher and the muscle fibers stay even contracted at rest. This creates a local thickening whereby waste accumulates. A trigger point can be seen as a muscle node. A bundle of muscle fibers that does not relax, but will always remain tense.
Trigger points and muscle spasms are a constant source of pain. I recommend the SPABALL to my patients as an effective home strategy to alleviate trigger points, break down muscle adhesions, and restore proper function. – Dr. Tom Hibbard, DC, Limitless Health Chiropractic, CA
The middle back trigger points can be applied by laying on the floor on top of a golf ball. You can also put a golf ball in a sock and leaning against the wall. Better yet, put the golf ball in a KaddyBACK so you can put pressure in these areas hands-free. It stays on your shoulder while sitting in a car, plane, etc. I seriously use this on myself everyday in my car because of all the physical work I personally do as a massage therapist.
To reach the triggerpoints in the neck use the SPAball Massager with the golf ball. This can be done standing or sitting, although you can do this also whey you lay on your back holding the ball in place on the upper neck (and under your scull) while relaxing.
I will rub and roll the ball on my sore muscles and, at times, just hold it on the trouble spots. Triggerpoint massage for pain relief.