Practitioners: Martin Hubbard

TRIGGER POINT THERAPY

Travell and Simons (The Trigger Point Manual Vol 1 1999) define a trigger point as “a highly irritable localised spot of exquisite tenderness in a nodule in a palpable taut band of muscle tissue.” When located and pressed these points give the intense sweet ache that one hopes for in a good massage treatment.

A trigger point is not the same thing as a muscle spasm, a trigger point is a contraction in only a small part. Blood flow essentially stops in the immediate area. The resulting oxygen starvation and accumulation of waste products of metabolism irritate the trigger point which then responds by sending out pain signals until the brain institutes a policy of rest for the muscle. You stop using the muscle which then begins to shorten and tighten up.

Muscles that have been shortened frequently squeeze nearby nerves thus leading to many misdiagnoses. Two notable examples are piriformis syndrome when trigger points in the piriforrmis compress the sciatic nerve which sends shooting pains down the leg and is then misdiagnosed as slipped disc or an impingement in the lumbar vertebrae, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome symptoms which can be caused by trigger points in the extensor muscles in the forearm.

 

HOT STONE THERAPY

Hot stones are used as “heat batteries” to warm and relax tense muscles which can then be worked on more effectively. Hot Stones are never used on inflamed tissue.
 I use them in conjunction with traditional hand massage strokes to seek out and relieve tension. They are also rather beautiful.

 

CONDITIONS TREATED
Chronic Muscle Pain, Stress, Discomfort

 

TREATMENTS

DE-STRESS RELAXATION MASSAGE (WITH OR WITHOUT HOT STONES)
Massage is conducive to a sense of well being and relaxation that helps the body to heal itself. Muscles which lie deep underneath more superficial muscles often hold a great deal of physical and emotional tension.. The surface muscles need relaxing to allow access for deeper tissue work . Hot stones gently spread heat to soften tight musculature that can then be encouraged to release.

 

HOT STONE REMEDIAL TRIGGER POINT THERAPY

Hot stone remedial trigger point therapy sweeps the muscles for evidence of undiagnosed trigger points. If they are found then they are encouraged to release. Firstly by manipulation and then by self or home treatment by the client with guidance from myself. Massage is a very effective form of pain relief if practised frequently. This is the importance of informed self treatment.
The specific benefit of hot stone trigger point therapy is to ensure that symptoms have not been misdiagnosed. If the cause of pain and discomfort is a trigger point then we will find it quite quickly and you will be able to treat it yourself effectively and with confidence. You may well not need drastic medical intervention such as cortisone injections or surgery. If on the other hand the cause is not a trigger point you can move onto the appropriate treatment.

 

SELF TREATMENT FOR PAIN RELIEF
You will receive advice, instruction and guidance on self help treatments. Trigger points can be effectively treated at home by a variety of simple tools to reach difficult parts of the body.(eg a tennis ball in a sock).  I use the extraordinary 3d images from www.visiblebody.com to show you which muscles need to be treated and how to find them.