Category: Blog

Neuromuscular Trigger Point Massage in Manhattan Beach: Why Doesn’t Your Shoulder Move Well.

According to a fascinating article in Massage Today, one of the most overlooked causes of Restricted Range of Motion (RRoM) in the arms is a trigger point cluster — several trigger points in relatively close proximity — in the subscapularis muscle (that’s the muscle that sits sandwiched between the shoulder blade and the ribs.) Most doctors will automatically assume that your RRoM is the product of a dislocation, a fracture, arthritis, or a torn rotator cuff. There’s a startling amount of “idiopathic” RRoM diagnoses, however, and this is quite likely a result of the fact that most traditional doctors have no experience with trigger points, and no idea of how to treat them. You need a qualified Neuromuscular/Trigger Point Massage Therapist — so if your shoulder hurts so much you can’t move your arm and the doctor doesn’t know why, call us today to help.

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Neuromuscular Trigger Point Massage in Manhattan Beach: Breakthrough Study Shows Neuromuscular Massage Relieves Low Back Pain

A “systematic review of systematic reviews” issued by the US National Library Medicine examined dozens of examinations of hundreds of studies on the question of whether or not massage therapy was an effective treatment of low back pain. Studies have been plagued by problems such as a lack of the clinical definition of “massage therapy” and a lack of direct comparative studies showing the relative success of massage therapy vs. its competition (acupuncture, mobilization, pharmaceuticals), but this meta-study came up with a pretty cear result: “Massage may be an effective treatment option…when compared to placebo.” “Given that there were no reported side effects or adverse events as a result of massage therapy, it may be considered as a viable treatment option.” If you want to get lasting relief from back pain, neck pain, sciatica, and more, then call and book neuromuscular massage today!

US National Library of Medicine, September 2013

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Neuromuscular Trigger Point Massage in Manhattan Beach: Cross-Country Study Shows Trigger Points Are Consistent

Trigger points are new enough to the medical field that few people are seriously studying them, but some groups are making attempts. In this case, a group of scientists from England, Switzerland, and Italy got together and attempted to map the trigger point of the trapezius muscle onto a known medical phenomenon: the “innervation zone,” the spot where the muscle’s primary activating neuron enters the muscle and branches out. They failed — the two don’t match up at all — but along the way they measured the trigger points of more than 70 people’s trapezius muscles and found that the trigger point location was remarkably consistent. “[Trigger points] in the upper trapezius appear to have a stereotyped location,” the study blandly reported. If you want to get lasting relief from back pain, neck pain, sciatica, and more, then call and book neuromuscular massage today in Manhattan Beach!

BioMedCentral.com, June 2013

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Neuromuscular Trigger Point Massage in Manhattan Beach: Cross-Country Study Shows Trigger Points Are Consistent

Trigger points are new enough to the medical field that few people are seriously studying them, but some groups are making attempts. In this case, a group of scientists from England, Switzerland, and Italy got together and attempted to map the trigger point of the trapezius muscle onto a known medical phenomenon: the “innervation zone,” the spot where the muscle’s primary activating neuron enters the muscle and branches out. They failed — the two don’t match up at all — but along the way they measured the trigger points of more than 70 people’s trapezius muscles and found that the trigger point location was remarkably consistent. “[Trigger points] in the upper trapezius appear to have a stereotyped location,” the study blandly reported. If you want to get lasting relief from back pain, neck pain, sciatica, and more, then call and book neuromuscular massage today in Manhattan Beach!

BioMedCentral.com, June 2013

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Neuromuscular Trigger Point Massage in Manhattan Beach: Trigger Points & Massage for Lumbar Disc Herniation

Researchers recently from randomly divided 60 patients with lumbar disc hernias into two groups: one received the standard treatment of B12 injections, traction, and heat  therapy. The other received trigger point stimulation and neuromuscular massage therapy. The standard therapy produced an 80% success rate of healing the hernia; the trigger point and massage group? 96.7% If you want to get lasting relief from back pain, neck pain, sciatica, and more, then call and book neuromuscular massage today!

Healthcare Medicine Institute, April 2014

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Neuromuscular Trigger Point Massage in Manhattan Beach: Massage Improves Vascular Health; Relieves Pain

Nina Cherie Franklin, a University of Illinois at Chicago postdoctoral fellow in physical therapy, lead a study of the effects of massage on the body. Volunteers were broken into three groups: one that did strenuous leg exercises and received no treatment, one that did the exercises and received massage therapy, and one that did no exercise but received massage therapy anyway. One set of results was expected: the exercise+massage group reported no soreness 90 minutes after the massage, and the exercise-only group was still reporting soreness a full day later. But more impressive was the other result: all three groups had their blood flow measured, and the exercise-only group had reduced blood flow up to 72 hours later — but both of the other groups had improved blood flow 72 hours after their massage. This means that patients with impaired vascular function and/or limited mobility may benefit significantly from regular massage therapy. If you want to get lasting relief from back pain, neck pain, sciatica, and more, then call and book neuromuscular massage today!

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, April 2014

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Best Neuromuscular Trigger Point Massage in Los Angeles: Myofascial Pain: A Sticky Subject 

The term ‘myofascial pain’ is fairly common (and getting more so) but not that many people have a clear idea of what it means. Here’s what it means: the ‘fascia’ are like envelopes of slick tissue that surround almost every part of our internal body. Imagine the thin, clear layer you can often find in top of a skinless chicken breast. ‘Myofascia’ means ‘fascia around your muscles’ — so ‘myofascial pain’ is ‘pain caused by a problem with the tissues that envelop your muscles.’ This happens most often when small tears in the myofascia cause them to adhere to nearby other tissues. Massage or other forms of directed pressure can release the adherence and thus allow the myofascia to return to their proper place, as well as directly releasing the trigger points at the source of pain.  If you want to get lasting relief from back pain, neck pain, sciatica, and more, then call and book neuromuscular massage today!

Academy of American Family Physicians, February 2002

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Best Neuromuscular Trigger Point Massage in Los Angeles: Pain at the Upper Corner of the Shoulder Blades?

One of the less common, but still nasty, forms of upper back pain is the sharp pain you can get right at the upper corner of your shoulder blade when you rotate your arm outward. Most doctors will tell you that this has something to do with your infraspinatus muscle (which is responsible for rotating your arm outward), but have no idea what it is. A qualified Neuromuscular/Trigger Point Massage Therapist, however, will tell you immediately: it's probably a specific trigger point, not in the infraspinatus, but in the trapezius muscle that just happens to get perturbed by the slight jostling that muscle gets when you rotate your arm. A quick Neuromuscular massage can release the point, and a few visits will generally get it to calm down entirely.

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At some point in time, most of us have had a “Charlie horse” or muscle cramp. In fact, 50% of adults over the age of 50 suffer from night cramps. Neuromuscular Massage Therapists are often asked by their patients, “Where do these come from? Why am I having these? What can I do to get rid of them?”

The most common type of muscle cramp is caused by exercise, hence the label “exercise- associated muscle cramps” (EAMC). Though EAMCs are common in both recreational and professional athletes, the actual cause remains unclear. Therefore, treatment is often based on anecdotal studies rather than sound scientific evidence.

With that said, a thorough analysis of previous studies published between 1955 and 2008 concluded that the two most widely discussed theories for the cause of EAMC are 1) dehydration and the resulting electrolyte imbalance/depletion and 2) neuromuscular causes. The authors of the analysis concluded that the actual cause is “…likely due to several factors coalescing to cause EAMC.” In other words, it’s sort of like “a perfect storm”, as several causes interact to result in the cramp, which is why treatment and prevention strategies for EAMC can vary considerably.

The recommended care for acute EAMC is to apply a steady, moderate static stretch to the muscle followed by gathering a proper history to determine if any predisposing conditions exist that can trigger EAMC. Prevention should focus on fluid and electrolyte balance (replacement) and/or neuromuscular training.

Specific physical problems that can increase the rate and/or intensity of muscle cramps include conditions affecting the endocrine system (hormonal imbalance), the metabolic system (loss of fluids and electrolytes), and/or the neurological system (such as nerve injury or damage). Common areas for muscle cramping include the calf, front of the thigh (quadriceps), and back of the thigh (hamstrings).

A thorough history and physical examination may include a nutritional assessment, which can lead to treatment strategies tailored for each unique, individual patient. Additionally, it’s a good idea to review what medications a patient is taking as they may play a role in the development of cramps. For example, diuretics commonly prescribed for high blood pressure and other heart-related conditions may lead to potassium depletion.

Some helpful natural remedies for those with persistent muscle cramping may include massage, and a mineral/electrolyte replacement such as calcium, potassium, and/or magnesium. Anti-inflammatory nutritional care such as ginger and turmeric and/or muscle relaxing approaches such as valerian root can also be helpful. Other anti-cramping natural substances include Cassia oil and capsaicin. Riboflavin has been used preventatively with success as well.

Low back pain (LBP) is a very common problem that many, if not most of us, have had at some point in life. In fact, about 80% of adults experience LBP in their lifetime, and it’s the leading cause of job-related disability and missed work days. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 25% of adults have had a recent episode of LBP.

Men and women are equally affected by LBP, which can occur abruptly following a specific incident (such as over lifting), or it can develop slowly over time due to wear and tear. Studies show a sedentary lifestyle during the week can set the stage for developing LBP, especially when it's followed by strenuous weekend workouts.

Although about 80% of acute LBP (lasting a few days to weeks) resolves with self-care or short-term management, about 20% of those with acute LBP will still have persistent symptoms after a year. So what can be done to manage chronic LBP and prevent disability?

One study looked specifically at maintenance neuromuscular/trigger point therapy (NMT) to determine its effectiveness in managing chronic LBP, which they defined as LBP that persists for more than six months. Researchers randomly assigned patients to receive either 1) 12 treatments of sham NMT for one month; 2) 12 treatments of NMT for one month but no treatment thereafter; or 3) 12 treatments for one month followed by NMT twice a month for the following nine months.

The research team found that groups two and three experienced significantly lower pain and disability scores than the sham treatment group at the end of the first month. However, only the third group experienced more improvement in regards to pain and disability at the ten-month evaluation. In the absence of continued NMT, the second group's pain and disability scores returned back to near pre-treatment scores. The authors concluded that NMT is effective for chronic nonspecific LBP, but to obtain long-term benefit, patients should continue to receive care on an ongoing basis.