Is it a Knot or a Trigger Point?
By Jaemie Ashworth, CMT
Professional Therapeutic and Sports Massage Therapist 
Think of that painful spot in your shoulder that just makes your life miserable or perhaps the one in your neck that wakes you up at night. Touching these places feels hard and painful. We often refer to these nasty trouble makers as “knots” because they often feel like a knot when we touch them.
These knots are actually trigger points.
Trigger points are hyperirritable spots in muscle that are associated with palpable nodules in bands of muscle fibers. Where did this trigger point come from? Trigger points can form in many ways. Repetitive motion, fatigue, metabolic issues, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, injury and pretty much anything in our life experience. We can carry trigger points around with us for many years before they finally get so irritated that we start losing range of motion and the pain gets so bad we seek out massage therapy to help us.
Often we get a massage and, although our pain feels better for a couple of days, the problem always comes back. The trick is finding the right massage therapist. All massage therapists are not created equal. The medical industry employs therapists with a wide range of training, knowledge of anatomy and physiology and experience. The standard Swedish or deep tissue massage found in most Day Spas or Chiropractic offices does not address muscle dysfunction. Here at South West Health we have therapists that are skilled at assessing and addressing muscular dysfunction at its source; the trigger point. Come experience the difference and finally get those knots out!
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