Background: Descriptions of myofascial pain date back to the mid 1800s
when Froriep described Muskelschwiele or muscle calluses. He described
these calluses as tender areas in muscle that felt like a cord or band
associated with rheumatic complaints. In the early 1900s, Gowers first
used the term fibrositis to describe muscular rheumatism associated with
local tenderness and regions of palpable hardness. In 1938, Kellgren
described areas of referred pain associated with tender points in
muscle. In the 1940s, Janet Travell, MD, began writing about myofascial
trigger points. Her text, written in conjunction with David Simons, MD,
continues to be viewed as the foundational literature on the subject of
myofascial pain.

ADVANCED TUTORIAL

Save Yourself from Trigger Points and Myofascial Pain Syndrome!

Trigger points, also known as muscle knots and myofascial pain syndrome, explained and discussed in great detail, including every imaginable self-treatment and therapy option for difficult cases

by Paul Ingraham, Registered Massage Therapist (Vancouver)
selected illustrations by Paul Ingraham, Alexia Tryfon

Many people continue to suffer from trigger point pain and myofascial pain - muscle knots - even though there are now several good books and tutorials on the market. So this extremely detailed, book-length tutorial focusses on advanced concepts and options for the self-treatment of more difficult cases - more than any other source, to the best of my knowledge. It is similar to the well-known book, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, by Claire Davies, but this tutorial goes much further.

And yet "advanced" trigger point therapy is not rocket science!1 It's simply a matter of having a lot of rational options to choose from - a pile of creative tips, insights and perspectives, based on years of clinical experience, presented in an interesting and readable way. This is a "user-friendly" tutorial, suitable for all patients, and yet more than detailed enough for professionals as well. Patients and professionals alike will find a cornucopia of troubleshooting ideas for problems like adhesions and "scarring," negative reactions to treatment, insomnia and fatigue, perpetuating factors and much more.

For beginners, learning even a little about trigger points can solve more pain problems more easily than anything else I know of. If you have any problem with chronic muscle pain or pain that comes and goes and then always comes back, if you have an injury that seems like it should have been healed ages ago, if you have strange aches and pains that have never really had a good explanation … please keep reading!

Trigger point therapy is not a miracle cure for chronic pain - but it's close

Trigger point therapy isn't "too good to be true" - it's just ordinary good. It's often surprisingly effective, but it's not miraculous. Good trigger point therapy can be hard to find, and it doesn't work for everyone. Self-treatment is often helpful … and often not. Your mileage will vary.

If you're just discovering trigger points, this tutorial is an information "jackpot." If you have average muscle pain - if you have a hip pain or a back pain or a neck pain that has never been diagnosed or treated properly - the advice given here may well be "miraculous."

Trigger point therapy isn't "too good to be true" - it's just ordinary good.

Or maybe you already know that trigger points are a major part of your pain, and you've already tried - and failed - to get rid of them. You need to graduate to some more advanced troubleshooting techniques before giving up the good fight. There may not be any healing miracles for you, but this tutorial will get you as close as you're likely to get: enough good ideas, fresh perspectives, practical tips, and clever tricks that you stand a good chance of at least reducing the pain more than you've been able to in the past.