Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook

Athlete?

Ever been injured?

Ever have a small nagging pain that sorta hurts but you don't want to see a doctor about?

YOU HAVE GOT TO BUY THIS BOOK: The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. Yes this post will be a shamless plug for this book but you have to understand where I am coming from.

So back in early '06 when 'Zilla was training for her first marathon, a friend of her's had referred her to this book. She gushed...i sorta nodded...she claimed it was better than sliced bread...i nodded again...i picked it up at Barns and Noble and read a bit in the store...I put it down...i thought about it some more...and then I thought about my non-existant bank account (as I was in graduate school at this time)...I thought "yea...i'm sure it is sorta a good book, but *how* good"?? I shrugged it off.

You see, I'd been down the trigger point alley (or so I thought). I'd been through two rounds of PT wherebye they dug into every sort of trigger point associated with an IT band. I 'got' it. Some overuse = some knots. That's all it is...getting those knots out. I grind my teeth LIKE A CHAMP...so i'm familiar with 'referred pain' from these so called 'trigger points'. When I get an ear ache like someone hit me with a baseball bat, I know what muscles to go after. And the pain will eventually subside.

When I thought about trigger points, I thought:

"I 'get it'. Referred pain = trigger point".

I rationalized that there was an underlying 'issue' going on. The ITBS... was over use and I'm sure sucky biomechanics. The TMJ, I have some sorry teeth that decided that they didn't want to be the same height on either side of my mouth, which resulted in teeth not in the same plane...which results in me grinding my teeth. Fun.

THOSE trigger point related issues made sense in my little brain. But last week when I went to see the doctor about my hip injury and he said that I may have some trigger points that were related to the fall I had a couple of weeks ago. I'm going to be honest, I didn't buy it. There was no physical over use wear, like with the ITBS and the TMJ that aggravated some muscles so I would end up with a trigger point. It didn't make sense to me that by falling I could get a trigger point.

(It was like the hippie-granola 'sports massage therapist' telling me that the reason that my hip hurts is because I'm not 'united' with my body. She believed that my hip pain was due to the fact that I am currently going through lots of big changes in my life. (new job, new city, new life).)

BUT...just because I didn't really believe the doctor when he told me that I may have aggrevated a trigger point when I fell and hence the hip pain, didn't mean I wasn't going to take his advice. He is a MD and a PT after all. And just because someone can call me doctor, doesn't mean I know anything about anything. (it just means I know a lot about a tiny tiny subject that no one really cares about, including me...but I digress). I'm a good patient, just because I am skeptical (i'm a scientist...would you expect anything less?), doesn't mean I won't go and DO what is prescribed.

So i pick up the book and look up 'hip flexor pain'. The book describes what may have brought on the pain, as IF the person who wrote the book somehow witness my accident a few weeks ago. So that immediately got my attention.

And I'm reading about hip flexor referred pain and it tells me to look for a trigger point next to my belly button on the side my hip hurts. And what do you know? Sore spot that upon rubbing the knot out, my hip starts to feel better. But the next day...it's not perfect. So yesterday as I dove further into the book looking up "hip pain", i see other areas of trigger points I should work on. And I go 'looking' for said trigger points (all on my stomach, so i'm hugely skeptical about this at this point...as it is not on my hip),and today....... NO PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't run in over a week and have only done spin classes, yet the next day after spin class my hip would still be a little cranky. But NOT TODAY. After finding all the trigger points associated with the hip...I am in NO PAIN!!!!!!!! Not even a twinge.

Referred pain is so weird.

I think every athlete needs to own this book.

8 comments:

Angry Runner said...

I do not have the book, but I am a believer. Speaking of which...time to roll...

J said...

This is really funny. Joseph told me about your experience and skepticism. I just laughed. It's typical. Especially if the person is really smart and well educated. It's proportional to the level of skepticism.

This stuff works. It's based on centuries of Asians who mapped the body and the nerves and how it all ties together. Would you think I was crazy if I told you that you could work out the pain in your shoulder by massaging a certain point in your foot?

Anyway... the hip flexors are tied to iliacus and the iliopsoas and they are tied to the stomach. If you release one, it's like a domino effect.

Go figure, huh?

I might have to get this book, too!

Paul said...

Good to see it's working for you! This book has definitely been my favorite. Although my TFL is being very stubborn right now..

Ryan said...

Sorry to hear :-( I really hope this works for you...this sounds very similar to Rolfing. Hey nice job on hitting the button to the Vineman Ironman you'll de ready for it!

Cheers and happy holidays!

Speed Racer said...

Does this have to do with those funny foam noodles that you hump and all your pain magically goes away? I'm skeptical too, but coming from you I might just have to believe it.

Rocketpants trying eastern remedies, it looks like CA is getting into you. I was skeptical about the yoga thing too though, and now look at me: longest time ever without an injury while I'm running more than I ever have before. Hmmm...

Benson said...

Wow, sounds fantastic. I'll be adding this book to my sports liberary.
Dear Santa, I heard about this book...

Nitsirk said...

Hmmmm. I must say I too am skeptical. How much do you think is attributal to "placebo" effect, or in other words, you want it to work so it does? I guess it doesn't really matter why it works, just that you feel better.

Another overeducated "Dr" here so that's my excuse. :)

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