If you have been hurt in an auto accident, your treatment may be covered by the auto insurance company. Health insurance seldom covers myofascial trigger point therapy, although you may be able to use Medical Savings Account to pay for the visits if it is prescribed by a doctor
Frequently Asked Questions
How many visits are required?
While it is common to have significant relief after three to seven treatments, more may be required for chronic pain sufferers.
Do I have to undress for a trigger point therapy appointment?
You do not need to undress for the treatment. However you should wear loose fitting clothing and you may be asked to adjust your clothing or change so that your skin is accessible for treatment.
What is a Trigger Point?
Trigger points are hyperirritable or tender spots occurring at the neuromuscular junction (the place where your nerves and muscles merge).They can be felt as nodules in a taut band of muscle fibre. They can refer ("trigger") pain to other areas of the body. This is why pain in your arm may be coming from a neck muscle, the pain in your neck from a shoulder muscle or pain in your lower back from a hip muscle.
What are the causes of trigger points?
Trigger points may be caused by many factors. Among the most common are repetitive activity, muscle overuse, poor nutrition, anatomical asymmetry, muscular imbalance and poor posture.
How are they treated? Does it hurt?
After locating the trigger points, light to medium compression is applied by the therapist. The muscle is then stretched and compression is applied again, followed by additional stretching. On average, this is done three times per trigger point. Trigger point treatment releases endorphins into the body and when the pain fades a sense of well-being is achieved. Due to the sensitivity of trigger points, a certain amount of discomfort may be experienced during treatment.
Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy is not a massage, therefore the client must be prepared to provide feedback during treatment and after the visit to do body "homework" in the form of specific stretches and exercises. That is why it is called "Interactive Pain Management".
Short History of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy (MTPT).
This therapy is based on the lifelong research and clinical practice of Janet Travell, MD and David Simons, MD. Dr. Travell, the first woman to serve as White House Physician, used trigger point therapy to help President Kennedy’s chronic back pain. Dr. Simons is a well-known researcher in the area of MTPT. Their two-volume text, Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, forms the basis of this internationally recognized therapeutic protocol.
