Myofascial Release for Muscle Spasms and Trigger Points

Myofascial release is a soft tissue technique most frequently used by chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists to treat myofascial pain syndrome. Myofascial pain syndrome is a chronic pain disorder caused by sensitivity and tightness in your myofascial tissues. These tissues surround and support the muscles throughout your body. The pain usually originates from specific points within your myofascial tissues called trigger points. Myofascial release focuses on reducing pain by easing the tension and tightness in the trigger points. It’s not always easy to understand what trigger point is responsible for the pain. Localizing pain to a specific trigger point is very difficult. For that reason, myofascial release is often used over a broad area of muscle and tissue rather than at single points.

SOME OF THE COMMON CAUSES OF TRIGGER POINTS:

• The Primary Cause of Trigger Points is Muscular Overload. There are several types of overload: Exertion Overload: This is the most obvious form of muscular overload and simply means that a muscle was not strong enough to perform a task required of it.
• Overuse or Repetitive Stress Overload: An overload of this type is probably the most common cause of trigger point activity. In these cases, the muscle’s functional endurance is exceeded by a given task.
• Biomechanical Overload: Muscles work together in functional groupings to create bodily movement.
• Biomechanical overload occurs when one of the muscles is weakened by trigger point activity. In this situation, a synergistic muscle becomes overloaded by the additional work load that it must take on because of its dysfunctional partner, and an antagonistic muscle becomes overloaded by a distortion in the nerve supply controlling it.
• Postural Overload: One of the more subtle ways of overloading a muscle is to place it in an over-shortened or overstretched state for a prolonged period of time. This type of overload is also known as postural overload.
• Degenerative postural overloads occur secondarily to the long-term changes in posture associated with aging or disease.
• Referred Pain Overload: Pain that is referred to a muscle from trigger points in other muscles, or from joints and internal organs, can overload a muscle’s control mechanism and cause trigger points to form within it.
• Muscle Trauma Overload: Physical trauma to a muscle, like that which might occur during a fall or automobile accident, can directly activate trigger points in that muscle.

Chiropractic treatment focuses on utilizing spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), or more commonly known as the chiropractic adjustment, to reduce joint restrictions or misalignments in the spine and other joints in the body in an effort to reduce inflammation and improve function of both the affected joint and nervous system. Our doctors may also utilize physical therapy, therapeutic modalities, taping and strapping, nutrition, joint supports, exercises and home therapy regimens to quicken recovery. Treatment is safe, non-invasive, and a non-addictive alternative to prescription medications or over-the-counter pain medications. By increasing joint mobility and improving your nervous system function and spinal health, your body has the ability to better manage symptoms caused by trigger points.

To see if chiropractic care is right for your condition, the highly trained doctors at Chiropractic Orthopedic Associates will perform a consultation, examination and if necessary, refer you out for diagnostic imaging such as x-ray or MRI. Based on the findings of our chiropractic exam and consultation, your doctor of chiropractic may elect to co-treat your low back pain with other healthcare professionals. We work with a network of healthcare providers that specialize in pain management, orthopedics, neurology, internal medicine, physiatry, neurosurgery and more.