Head Turning Relief: Trigger Point Therapy to the Rescue
Jacob Farin, N.D.
When I first saw Ted, he walked into my office bracing his neck with his hands. He had been experiencing neck pain off and on for almost a year. He had seen other health care practitioners, but had only temporary relief; the pain usually came back a few days later. A friend of his recommended that he checks out the Center for Traditional Medicine.
When I examined Ted's neck, I didn't find any spinal abnormalities that could account for his pain, such as a pinched nerve or herniated disk. What I found instead were numerous trigger points along his shoulder and neck muscles.
Trigger points are areas of the muscle that are constantly in spasm. They are very tight and tender to the touch, and they may be deep and excruciating. In severe cases, trigger points create radiating pain that extends outward from the point of origin. This could lead to arm pain, shoulder pain, numbness and migraine headaches.
The cause of trigger points are numerous. They include trauma, overuse of the muscle and exposure to cold temperatures. Regardless of the cause of trigger points, I have found trigger point therapy very effective with many of my patients.
The treatment focuses specifically on muscle spasms and involves injecting a solution of saline and a local anasthetic directly into the trigger point. When the nerve impulse is disrupted, muscle spasm is relieved and pain subsides. Over time, as the muscle rebuilds itself, the trigger point is replaced by healthy muscle tissue. And this is exactly what happened with Ted.
After one session of trigger point therapy, Ted's neck pain vanished. He experienced full mobility of his neck and was able to turn his head without any spasms or sharp pain in his neck muscles.
To make sure that the effect of the trigger point therapy was long lasting, I tested his magnesium levels because chronic magnesium can cause muscle spasms. Ted's magnesium levels turned out to be low. To increase his magnesium levels and prevent reactivation of the trigger points, I gave him magnesium glycinate, a highly absorbable form of magnesium.
Trigger point therapy can provide a lot of relief from acute and chronic muscle spasms. For Ted, it was extremely beneficial, especially since he had long-term relief and was able to resume his acive lifestyle. If you are experiencing muscular discomfort and want to know about naturopathic treatment options, call the Center for an appointment.