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Poor neck posture and pain.

~ bryancobb ~ Leave a comment

One of the most common causes of neck pain and headaches that I see in the clinic is poor neck posture. This posture presents itself as a neck forward head up posture. The neck is usually rounded forward and down but the head has to be tilted up in order to see what’s in front of you. This posture will cause all types of imbalances with a combination of strained and contracted muscles. This can lead to not only a stiff achy neck, but also headache pain as well. Trigger points often develop in muscles subjected to this type of chronic strain. These points will cause pain, refered pain, stiffness, and weakness. These points will also mimick numerous other symptoms. Trigger points are difficult to deal with as rest and stretching usually aren’t enough to treat them. Trigger point massage therapy is one of the proven methods of treating trigger points.

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Planter fascitis and trigger points

~ bryancobb ~ Leave a comment

Planter fascitis is a painful condition affecting the bottoms of the feet. It involves inflammation and tightness of the planter fascia, which is a tough layer of connective tissue on the bottoms of the feet. Trigger points in the calf and foot muscles are a leading cause of planter fascitis. These points not only cause the muscle to become tight which in turn causes the fascia to be tight, but the trigger point pain referral patterns of these muscle will cause pain to be felt in the bottoms of the feet and heal. These causes are often overlooked leading to ineffective treatment and prolonged suffering.

Trigger points in the Q.L. Muscle

~ bryancobb ~ Leave a comment

the quadratus lumborum muscle or “q.l.” Is a muscle located in your lower back. It originates on the iliac crest and iliolumbar ligament, and interns onto the last rib and transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae. This muscle functions to stabilize the lumbar spine as well as laterally flex the spine. It will also hike the hip. Acting bilaterally it will extend the lumbar spine. Trigger points will often develop in this muscle. Trigger point referral will produce pain in the S.I. Joint and the lateral hip as well as the buttock. The pain referred into the S.I. Joint is often misdiagnosed as S.I. Joint dysfunction.

Trigger points in the multifidus muscle.

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The multifidus muscle is a long muscle that travels the length of the spine. It has different actions on different parts of the spine. It extends and laterally flexes the cervical and lumbar spine, and rotates the thoracic spine. Trigger points in this muscle are common due to poor posture and bad movement mechanics. Trigger points in the lumbar area area are a common cause of low back pain. These lower points can also refer into the abdomen. Points that form in the cervical region will refer pain down the neck into the shoulder blade area.

~ bryancobb ~ Leave a comment

The rectus femoris muscle is one of your quad muscles. It acts primarily to extend the knee but it also helps to flex the hip. This muscle is often overloaded from athletic activity, but it also can become chronically shortened from prolonged sitting. Trigger points will refer pain deep into the knee producing a deep ache felt into the joint.

Trigger points up close.

~ bryancobb ~ Leave a comment

trigger points are one of the most common sources of pain in the body. Once a trigger point has formed it won’t release on its own. Trigger point massage is one of the most effective way to release a point. It involves using a deep focused pressure applied directly to the knot. This frees the contracted tissue and stimulates healing.

Trigger points.

~ bryancobb ~ Leave a comment

Trigger points are knots of contracted muscle or connective tissue that form as a result of overload stress. Once formed these points will produce pain, refered pain, weakness, and stiffness. Trigger points can also mimic other conditions such as Carple tunnel syndrome and sciatica. Trigger points will on go away on their own, they must be manually released.

Trigger points in the trapezius muscle.

~ bryancobb ~ Leave a comment

The trapezius muscle is a large diamond shaped muscle located in your back. This muscle is often overloaded due to poor sitting posture or excessive exercise. When this occurs trigger points will form. These points can cause back, neck, and shoulder pain. Trigger points in the upper traps are a leading cause of headache.