Trigger Points are irritable points found on tight bands of muscles that are normally painful beneath compression. When activated, they reflect pain and other sensations to diverse parts of the body. Trigger points can form in the fleshy part of the muscle, the tendons or the insertions of the periosteum. They are also frequently found in the skin, fascia, ligaments, the surface of articulations and even in the visceras.
Neuromuscular therapy identifies and deactivates these points through the method of ischemic compression or trigger point pressure release, stretching the shortened fibers in which they are found annulling the factors that gave origin to its formation. Three principal factors can de identified that stimulate the formation of Trigger Points. Bio mechanical, bio chemical and psycho-social factors.
An important bio mechanical factor is the compression of nerves caused by soft tissues, such as tense muscles, or osseous tissue, like a hernia. This compression can be caused by various motives: a traumatic incident, the result of bad movement patterns and repetitive work actions, sports, bad posture when seated, standing, sleeping, etcetera. Neuromuscular Therapy tries to identify these nervous compressions and apply manual methods and rehabilitation exercises to modify and correct the bodily bio mechanics. Postural influences are also bio mechanical factors.
The second important factor in the formation of Trigger Points is the bio chemistry of the body. One must take into consideration nutrition, the lack of absorption of vitamins and nutrients, ischemia or lack of irrigation of the blood in the tissues, inflammation, and the tendency of hyperventilation (influences the exchange of O2 and CO2).
The third factor is psycho-social, through which it is important to keep in mind the emotional history of the person and his or her capacity to adapt in emotional situations, or his or her tendency to retain emotions in the body. Recent discoveries about the connection between the mind and the body tell us that cells not only metabolise and assimilate nutrients and toxins, but that they also process emotions and sensations. The majority of the time we are not conscious of our situation, nor of how and how much our thoughts and external situations affect each of our cells.
The intention of this therapy, through precise and non-invasive contact, is to help bring these blockages and cell registry to a more conscious plane, to be able to process and free them. The results tend to manifest themselves not only in the patterns of movement but also at a deeper level, in the sub conscious, with the cellular memory.
The body has the capacity to heal itself naturally; all that we try to do with this therapy is facilitate this process. Most of the time it provides subtle and profound changes that can be perceived in between sessions through internal movements. Other times, the changes are more intense, marked and long-lasting.
Roger Jackson 