trigger points therapy - best book?

[mattiazambaldi]

Hi all.
I'm a physio student, and will graduate soon.
I'm a bit disappointed that during theorical lectures I have never been thaught anything about trigger points. Only in the clinical placements I've been told something, but just a few of what seems to me as being a very important subject to know and an effective way to treat many musculoskeletal disorders.
Thus, I'd like to be advised on which is the best book to study and learn about TrPs. Looking on previous threads, I found that the best one is thought to be the one by Travell and Simons but no way, it is definitely too expensive for my pocket.

Please give me advices explaining me why you suggest that book and what are its best features.
And... I usually order on bookdepositoryDOTcom. Quite cheap prices and free shipping. Do you perhaps know any better website to order from?

Thank you.


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[gcoe]

Yes Myofascial trigger points gets a low profile in most physiotherapy courses.

Have you had a look at this website:

Trigger Point and Referred Pain Guide

and also this association:

NAMTPT | National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists

For a book this one covers the topic:

Amazon.com: The Manual of Trigger Point and Myofascial Therapy (9781556425424): Dimitrios Kostopoulos PT PhD, Konstantine Rizopoulos PT FABS: Books

However the Travell & Simons' books are unbeatable references and I would strongly recommend you consider saving up for them in the long term. They are now very old books but the great thing about the books are the impeccable anatomical illustrations and the clinical picture for each muscle - each muslce is given a "personality" as a memory aid.

The down side about the the T&S books apart from the price) is that they are oriented towards vapocoolant spray and stretching as the primary therapeutic modality - a relatively irrelevant modality for physios. You can achieve so much with your hands and probably more safely rather than anaesthetising people with vapocoolant spray.

Personally what I think is more important than referring to a text book all the time is knowing your muscle anatomy REALLY well and being able to identify by palpating the muscle and where the trigger points are and knowing exactly how to stretch the muscle as a three dimensional entity

Once you have had the experience of clinically locating trigger points, applying pressure to reproduced the patient's symptoms the treatment is really very simple: deep massage techniques and pressure techniques by pressing on the trigger point or pinching the trigger points and stretching the muscles (often shuttling back and forward the massage and stretch) Some therapists also do dry needling of trigger points but personally I have never bothered. Once you get good at this the assessment and treatment process is very simple and personally you don't have to keep referring to a manual. A chart of trigger points, where the symptoms tend to spread and having an understanding of satellite phenomenon can all help. But there is nothing like just getting the experience of working that way. I always found this as a modality much simpler and more predictable than other manual therapies.

I think the myfascial pain model is a great modality to have under your belt but I would never just rely on it. Sometimes it works, sometimes manual therapy works better. ONe major shortcoming is that it is very symptomatically oriented without addressing underlying movement impairment syndromes - so why the muscle behaves this way in the first place.

[mattiazambaldi]

Thank you very much gcoe. I really appreciated your considerations and suggestions. About saving on T&S's book... well, I don't think I will, at least not now..

[Gupta1984]

Thanks alot gcoe for sharing valuable information ....

[Yarok]

Hi

Apart of T&S' book i can reccomnd - Leon Chaitow - Neuromuscular Techniques

as well as acupuncture - kind of different ideology.
all the best
Jarek
Fizjomanual I Fizjosport - Start

[Headtotoe]

I'm disappointed, also, that you and other physio students haven't been informed of trigger points and Chronic Myofascial Pain. I have it and I'm pretty tired of blank looks from people in the medical community.