Displaying items by tag: trigger point

Wednesday, 12 June 2019 10:37

How To Resolve Chronic Pain With T-Bar Massage

While massage therapy can benefit people from all walks of life, those suffering from chronic pain usually require a more individualized and unique therapeutic approach. Sometimes your pain problems may be too chronic for swedish massage therapy or too centralized for deep tissue massage. If your pain is too severe for traditional forms of therapeutic massage, then you might benefit greatly from t-bar massage.

What is T-Bar Massage and How Can it Benefit Me?

It’s estimated that nearly 20 million Americans suffer from high-impact chronic pain issues on a daily basis. This can greatly limit your daily activities and operations. Highly targeted neuromuscular massage therapy (NMT) can effectively treat those chronic pain issues. Since neuromuscular therapy is so extremely focused, massage therapists will often call upon an NMT tool called a “t-bar.”

The t-bar is used to isolate trigger points and effectively treat those painful areas. Your massage therapist leverages the t-bar to hone in on your pain points and apply greater pressure to specific areas for greater pain relief. To put it more frankly: a t-bar massage allows your massage therapist to reach the root of your pain and treat it right at the source.

How Does T-Bar Massage Work?

The very simple t-bar tool has three central pieces: the handle, the shank, and the tip. This straightforward design helps the massage therapist easily apply concentrated pressure to trigger points. Trigger points are hypersensitive pea-sized knots that usually develop in injured muscles.

Once the trigger point is found, the massage therapist will apply alternating levels of concentrated pressure directly on the trigger point for anywhere between 10-30 seconds. Some patients may experience some discomfort when a massage therapist is using t-bar massage to release tension in the fascia. This is necessary to properly alleviate your points of chronic pain. We recommend working with a licensed NMT therapist that you can openly communicate with to reap the most benefit from t-bar massage.

Those who struggle with chronic pain know that it is a highly personal experience. That’s why t-bar massage is never “one-size-fits-all.” Instead, we utilize a wide variety of t-bars in our neuromuscular massage therapy techniques to give every individual client the maximum benefit possible.

Who Should Try T-Bar Massage?

It should be noted that only certified Neuromuscular Massage Therapists are licensed to practice NMT and use t-bars during massage. You should never receive NMT from a massage therapist who lacks the certification. Our licensed massage therapist, Sarah Monreal, is a dedicated and certified practitioner of NMT, so she understands the minute details of neuromuscular and t-bar massage.

T-bar massage is not for everyone, the same way that neuromuscular massage is not for everyone. Those that have chronic/recurring pain problems can benefit the most from t-bar massage. Additionally, NMT can be incredibly beneficial to those recovering from injuries, accidents, or surgeries. T-bar massage can also help address:

  • Arthritis

  • Circulatory problems

  • Myofascial trigger points

  • Neural entrapment

  • Nerve compression

  • Sciatica

  • And much more!

If you don’t suffer from any of these conditions, but still have recurring pain problems, you may benefit from our other approaches to massage therapy. Regardless of your therapeutic approach, Wayfare Wellness will develop a personalized treatment plan to address your pain.

Book Your First T-Bar Massage Therapy Session

T-bar massage is the ideal massage therapy solution for anyone who suffers from chronic pain issues. If you find yourself impeded by recurring pain and need relief, then book your first t-bar massage with Wayfare Wellness today!

Published in Massage

If you suffer from chronic pain, chances are you've probably sought out a number of different remedies for relief. Whether it's chiropractic care, exercise, stretching, massage therapy, or a combination of these pain relief options, if you're not finding relief, it's time to try something new. Neuromuscular massage therapy is the tried and true treatment for muscular pain. Here's why you should try and what you can expect from neuromuscular massage in Denver.

How Is Neuromuscular Massage In Denver Different?

Neuromuscular massage therapy isn't necessarily a “different” type of treatment than other forms of massage therapy, but rather it is just a highly targeted form of deep tissue massage. It is highly effective in the treatment of chronic soft tissue pain.

Let's Talk About Muscular Pain

Soft tissue, or muscular pain, is often caused by ischemic muscle tissue. This is muscle tissue that is lacking proper blood flow. When a muscle is not getting enough blood, that means it is also not getting enough oxygen. A lack of oxygen causes the muscle to produce lactic acid, which is what causes that sore feeling you get after a strenuous workout. All of these factors mean that your muscle spindle can't relax, leading to the formation of trigger points, or concentrated areas of hypersensitivity.

While a single, concentrated area of pain doesn't sound like it would require intensive neuromuscular therapy, the problem with ischemic muscle tissue and trigger points is that the pain is rarely localized. Often this kind of muscle pain results in referral pain in areas of the body that are related to the initial location. For example, a client that comes in with shoulder pain may be experiencing that due to dysfunction in the hand or forearm and vice versa. Trigger points are often the cause of sciatica or carpel tunnel like pains.

The Process Of Neuromuscular Massage

Neuromuscular massage is commonly referred to as trigger point myotherapy, a name that more directly references the key that makes this treatment unique: the trigger point.

Neuromuscular therapy (NMT) starts with a thorough examination of the body through regional protocols. If you're noticing pain in a specific area, your massage therapist will perform a primary examination in that location, followed by the muscles that directly cross the related joints and attach to or originate from that spot.

If you're feeling pain in your lower back, for example, your therapist will start massaging the muscles of the lower back to get blood moving through the area and identify trigger points. He or she will then move out to related regions, like the glutes, hip flexors, lats, and obliques, to identify additional trigger points that may be the source of referral pain.

Once these trigger points are identified, a certified, neuromuscular massage therapist will utilize alternating levels of concentrated pressure directly on the trigger points for anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds. This process helps to release tension and relax the muscle, allowing proper blood flow and increased oxygen back into the muscle. This provides pain relief.

That Sounds Painful...

This is a common assumption from patients who are already experiencing chronic soft tissue pain. The idea of putting concentrated pressure directly on the spot that is causing pain can give one pause and soft tissue pain is one of the only scenarios where this technique is effective in providing pain relief. One wouldn't be inclined to put pressure directly on a surface level burn, but when it comes to your soft tissue that is precisely what is needed. However, while you can expect a normal level of discomfort initially during neuromuscular therapy, it should not be painful. Be sure to communicate with your therapist throughout your treatment so that you can get the most from your neuromuscular massage.

Neuromuscular Massage In Denver

Neuromuscular massage therapy is the ideal solution for patients who present with chronic pain, as well as patients who participate in rigorous exercise or athletics. Our massage therapist at Wayfare Wellness has many years of experience specializing in pain relief through a variety of modalities, including neuromuscular therapy.

If you suffer from chronic pain, it's time to try something different. Book your neuromuscular massage today.

Published in Pain Management