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Trigger Points: Key to Pain Management
By Mike Menkes, BA, LMT
Trigger Points are hyperirritable bundles of fibers within
a muscle which become "knotted" and inelastic, unable
to contract or relax, due to an injury.
The human body is amazing. There are 610 muscles in the body
and at one time or another, any one of them or many of them
will develop tight, knot-like areas known as trigger points.
Trigger points have a number of causes such as overuse, injury,
illness or even everyday stress.
Like a muscle, a rope is made of fibers twisted together.
When you tie a knot in the rope, it becomes shorter and tighter
and the fibers become more twisted. Similarly, the "knots"
or trigger points in muscles shorten and tighten the muscle,
stretching tendons and ligaments abnormally and reducing blood
circulation in the muscle.
When the muscle is tight, it lacks oxygen and the body releases
chemicals that "trigger" pain. Your body may become
fatigued more quickly because it has to use more energy to
move the tightened muscle.
The good news is that for as many tight, painful
"trigger points" you can feel in your
body, there are just as many uses for Roll Away The PainTM.
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