Massaging Trigger Points in Your Hand or Feet

Trigger points are tender points in your muscles where you will find palpable nodules in tight muscle fibres. These are areas where blood flow has decreased, lactic acid has built up, and muscles have tightened up to form “knots” or “nodules” of tissue.

There are two types of trigger points - Active and Latent. When you compress an Active Trigger Point, it will refer pain to other areas of your body. Compression of a Latent Trigger Point will only cause pain at the point of compression, but will not refer pain. Trigger point massage focuses upon releasing the tightness in these hyper-irritable sports.

Use of a golf ball to apply pressure upon the trigger point to release the restrictions.

Apply Trigger Point Therapy

Roll the golf ball in firm, circular motions across the area for 10 to 20 seconds.

When you find an area that is particularly tender, use the golf ball and work this area for an additional 20 to 30 seconds until you feel a softening of the trigger point.

• Monitor the level of pain on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is excruciating pain). Do not exceed a level seven pain.
• Ask yourself, “Would I be willing to do this again tomorrow?” If not, you are pressing too hard, so back off on the pressure.
• Don’t be aggressive with your therapy.
• Be consistent with your therapy. Perform the trigger point therapy
• several times a day.

Click on the image for an example of how to perform this type of protocol.

This information is derived from our Release Your Kinetic Chain Exercise Series - Shoulder to Hand. If you would like to more information or to purchase our books please go towww.releaseyourbody.com . If you would like information about our clinic in Calgary Alberta please go towww.kinetichealth.ca.

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