This Is Why You Could STILL Be Suffering From Back Pain Even After All That Therapy....

According to recent research approximately 90% of pain symptoms are considered idiopathic, which means that there is no known cause.  One of the reasons why this may be the case is because a proper assessment of the patient's soft-tissues is not being performed!   

What are some of the causes of soft-tissue pain?

1.  Ischemia is a lack of blood supply to the soft tissues that causes them to become sensitive to touch.

2.  Trigger Points occur when nerves fire impulses at a rapid speed into an area of the body other than that which has been traumatized.  This phenomenon produces an effect where the real cause of pain is far removed from the actual site of pain.  Trigger points inhibit proper blood flow, which initiates a vicious cycle of pain and discomfort.

3.  Nerve compression or entrapment is pressure on a nerve by a bone, cartilage, or soft tissue.  As tightness of the soft tissues that surround nerve fibers increase, more and more pressure is brought to bear on the nerve, resulting in strangulation or entrapment of the nerve against a bone or cartilaginous structure such as a disc.

4.  Postural distortion is an imbalance of the muscular system resulting from movement of the body off of normal planes of motion.  Trauma, gravitational pressure, or psychological patterning causes the soft tissues to assume a weight bearing function and then become thicker, denser and harder resulting in muscular contraction, body distortion, and pain!

5.  Biomechanical dysfunction is an imbalance of the musculoskeletal system resulting in faulty movement patterns.  Repetitive strain of certain soft tissues results in adapted movement patterns that become muscular "habits" and must be re-educated to function properly again.

In this article, I am going to focus on how trigger points can cause back pain... 

Trigger Points Can Cause Serious Back Pain!
 Just look here . . .

The Source of Pain Is Not Always Where You Feel The Pain		Do Any Of These Patterns Look Familiar?
From Travell JG, Simons DG: Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, Vol. 2, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1992

As you can see in the picture, a muscle in the lower back called the quadratus lumborum carries 4 common trigger points that can refer pain into the butt muscles, and around the side of the hip.  Note that the pain is not where the trigger points are located! 

The truth is, in many cases, therapists are treating the wrong area 90% of the time!

Trigger Points Can Mimic Sciatica!

Surgery is NOT going to de-activate trigger points.
From Travell JG, Simons DG: Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, Vol. 2, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1992

The sad part about this is that many sciatic pain sufferers are having unnecessary surgeries and a lot of extra pain because the back pain "specialist" they are currently seeing may not have done a thorough soft tissue assessment to seek out active trigger points that may be causing their pain! 

Why do so many doctors and therapists miss something so obvious and easy to eliminate?

In my experience over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with quite a few hands-on therapists of all types; chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists.  Unfortunately, most of them just aren't very good with their hands, yes, even the massage therapists.  Unless they are specifically trained to find and de-activate trigger points, most therapists won't be able to even locate them. 

The Solution To Eliminating Soft Tissue Pain:  Neuromuscular Therapy

What is Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT for short)?

Neuromuscular Therapy is a way to analyze and thoroughly explore the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in order to find "hidden" sources of pain.  In essence, I use NMT to locate soft tissue adhesions (muscle fibers "stuck" together), ischemic tissue (tissue with a lack of blood flow), and active trigger points. 

Once found, special release techniques are required to de-activate the painful areas, including:

1.  Percussion/Vibration:  Percussion works to release the deepest fascial layers in the body, which cannot be done by hand.  One of my favorite tools to do this with is the Vibracussor.

My clients absolutely LOVE the Vibracussor, especially since it is gentle, and relieves pain by increasing circulation and releasing tight muscles.

2.  Trigger Point Release Techniques:  Active trigger points can refer pain to all areas around your back, thus creating pain!  Not only do trigger points create pain, but the muscles that contain them become weak and "shut off".  De-activating trigger points involves specific hands-on techniques.

Releasing trigger points can create back pain relief literally instantly!

3.  Post- Corrective Stretching And Exercise:  Once muscles have been released, it is VERY important to begin re-educating the nervous system on how to function properly again.  This requires stretching shortened tissues, while performing specific exercises to strengthen the muscles that are weak. 

Re-strengthening spinal stabilizer muscles is ESSENTIAL to keep the benefits that you will receive from Neuromuscular Therapy!

As you can see, releasing trigger points isn't just as simple as getting a massage.  It is extremely important to identify which muscles are tight and which muscles are weak in order to identify key trigger points and to correct posture.  If the wrong muscles are massaged or released, the problem will not be corrected, thus leaving you in pain, or may even making you worse!