Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1501042
L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 21 There is a video link attached to this article that includes my version of how to work with trigger points. Of course, I believe this one to be the best because it works for me, I have seen it help most of my clients, and I really enjoy being right. But there are so many other possibilities. I know many people who swear by methods that do nothing for me. That's the beauty of it, though, isn't it? If we were all the same, wouldn't this whole experience be really boring? My technique tip for this article, then, is this: Be open. Stay open. Listen to everyone. Listen to no one. And never stop exploring. As Thomas Anderson, better known as Neo from the film franchise The Matrix, might say, be the trigger point. Agent Smith: "Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?" Neo: "Because I choose to." Allison Denney is a certifi ed massage therapist and certifi ed YouTuber. Find her massage tutorials at YouTube.com/ RebelMassage. She is also passionate about creating products that are kind, simple, and productive for therapists to use in their practices. Her products, along with access to her blog and CE opportunities, can be found at rebelmassage.com. research. But what a trigger point feels like varies so much from person to person that creating a hard defi nition has proven to be contentious. Even now you may be thinking, "But I know what a trigger point is! It is a hyperirritable bundle of muscle fi bers that creates a pain response, Allison." And you are right. What makes a thing irritable, though, and how this is somatically perceived raises some exciting conversations. SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS When the anatomy is vague—do an online search for "What is a muscle knot?" and witness some of those conversations—the approach becomes a little more slippery. And anatomy is not isolated from its partner in crime, physiology. Describing a trigger point is impossible without attempting to interpret what it feels like. It's a bit like trying to explain laughter. Or attempting to describe the taste of salt. Why a giggle percolates, or what triggers (yes, triggers) a fi t of hilarity when we fi nd something funny, is slightly magical. And salt tastes, well, salty. With the vast array of trigger point experiences and advice, I return to the question of how to know where we should turn for guidance. The answer: everywhere and nowhere. Exploring all the perspectives takes a lot of time. And most of us don't have that—or don't have the patience for that. Or both. But that doesn't change the way we learn. Take all the classes. Feel what works for you. Survey your clients. Find out if one technique fared better than others. And do not rest on that being the answer to all the things. Keep doing this for years. Decades maybe. You may change your mind a handful of times. VIDEO: "MASSAGE TUTORIAL: TRIGGER POINTS!!!" 1. Open your camera 2. Scan the code 3. Tap on notification 4. Watch!