Hey everybody, it's Doctor Jo, and today I'm gonna talk about common trigger points and
how to relive them.
So let's get started.
So basically a trigger point is when your muscle gets irritated, there's a really tender
spot somewhere.
Sometimes it feels like it's knotted up and what's happening is the muscle is either getting
overworked, or it's getting worked in the wrong way, and it just kind of knots up.
And the reason trigger points can be so problematic is because then once there's that knot in
there, then that muscle's not working how it's supposed to.
So then over working of other muscles, movements that aren't working how they're supposed to
and it can just cause a lot of problems and pain.
So with a trigger point, usually the most common, easiest way to relieve it is really
just find the trigger point.
Most common trigger points for what I've seen is the neck, so the upper trap, levator scap
up in here.
Also the common trigger points is the piriformis down in the bottom area.
The IT Band in the quads.
I'm gonna talk more about the neck area to start off with because that's really where
you see the most common trigger points.
So you can just take your fingers and push down on that trigger point.
And usually you can find it, it's really, really tender.
It's pretty easy to find and you're like "oh yeah."
Sometimes it makes you go like that when you hit it, but it's a really hurts so good kind
of feeling.
Now if you're like me, getting a little bit older, work on trigger points a lot, starting
to get a little bit of arthritis in your fingers, it's really good to use a tool to help with
those trigger points.
Instead of just using you fingers all the time and then wearing out your fingers.
So the folks at Sidekick sent me their Flux vibration therapy ball.
And this is a really, really cool tool to use because a lot of time you can use a lacrosse
ball or a tennis ball, something like that, but when you us a ball that doesn't have like
the vibration component, you really have to kind of move around, find the spot, roll on
it a little bit.
And the vibration does a really good job of helping relax the muscles.
The vibration movement kind of contract and relaxes, contracts and relaxes the muscle
to just help really get it to relax.
So this is one of my favorite tools to use to kind of help get rid of those trigger points.
And so with this, it has 4 different settings.
So sometimes you might be "the vibration's too much," but it starts off with level 1
which is a little bit, then it goes to 2, then 3 is kind of a variation where it goes
up and down, and then 4 is the highest level.
So it's really nice, you can kind of progress up to it.
It also has these ridges here which really lets you kind of dig in to those trigger points.
So I'm just gonna go ahead and start showing you a little bit.
And the reason I like this so much again is you just kind of lie down on it.
You don't have to wiggle around and move like maybe with a foam roller or something like
that.
And so when you just, you can kind of see that it's vibrating like this.
And this is just the lowest setting.
And so what I would do is then just kind of put it, usually my levator scap is biggest
one.
And so I can just find that spot, and then you know you go "ohh that's the spot."
And then just sit here and relax.
And sometimes you might wanna just slide a little bit, but you can just do little movements.
You don't have to do big rolling movements like you might have to do with the foam roller
or things like that.
Make sure you're comfortable, so if you need a pillow underneath, you can.
And then just hold it there.
You can do it, you know starting off, and you're doing this the first time with the
vibration, you might just want to do 30 seconds in one spot, maybe up to a minute.
And then if you've done it for a long time then you can definitely do a lot more than
that.
Bust the cool thing about this again is it's got some give to it.
So if you're, let's say you want it on your piriformis right there.
It's not so hard that this is uncomfortable when I'm sitting on it.
You know sometimes those lacrosse balls are really, really hard and it's slightly uncomfortable
for some people.
But this, so you can see, I'm just kind of doing a little wiggle move, but I'm hitting
it, and again, that vibration is that extra piece to really help relax those trigger points.
And I mean it's very comfortable, it's not painful.
You can even then go down to your IT Band.
But the most important part about trigger points is, let's say I've done about 5-10
minutes really just working on it.
There my IT Band.
With the IT Band you can kind of roll around a little bit going from your knee up to your
hip to that TFL.
But after you get that trigger point to release, and sometimes you really can feel it release
underneath.
You know, you'll have it and then it will go "joop!" and then go right in.
And once you get it to relax, you want to stretch those muscles afterwards.
If you get a trigger point to relax, and then you just stop and don't do anything else,
then it's really gonna be going right back to the same spot afterwards.
You really need to lengthen out those muscle fibers afterwards.
So this is a great way to do it before your workout to get everything loosened up, stretched.
And then you can do it after your workout too to just kind of relax everything back
down.
So another thing that I like to do.
Especially in the neck for like the levator scap and the upper traps.
If I have this on.
And I put it here, sometimes instead of moving your body, if you move your neck to get that
muscle to shorten or lengthen, you can try it in different ways.
That kind of helps get that trigger point out of there as well.
So if I'm just sitting here, that's fine.
But then if I want to try and get a little bit more into that trigger point, I'm gonna
turn in to it.
Just so I don't have as much tension on that muscle.
And that a lot of times helps it to relax as well.
And if you're interested in purchasing the Flux vibration therapy ball, make sure and
click on the link up there.
So after you get those trigger points worked out and it's feeling a lot better, then you
want to go into a stretch.
So the biggest ones for me, again, is that levator scap.
And a lot of times if you're sitting at a desk for a long time, if you're driving for
a long time, you kind of get that forward head posture and you really stress out those
neck muscles.
So a great levator scapulae stretch is if it's on this side, I'm gonna take this hand
and just kind of put it up here.
What that does is it holds that shoulder blade, or that scapula down where it attaches.
So it keeps it kind of in one spot to get a good stretch.
Then I'm gonna take my head and turn over like I'm looking towards my opposite knee.
So it's not straight down, it's not out to the side, but I'm putting my hand behind my
head and going kind of at an angle.
So elbow as high up as you comfortable can, and then just pulling down towards that opposite
knee.
And I should feel that stretch right through there.
And if Ive already gotten that trigger point worked out, most of the time you're gonna
feel that you can stretch it further and it's gonna feel more comfortable when you're stretching
it.
So with the stretches, you know 30 seconds, 3 times each side.
You know with stretching you don't really need to go longer than that, but you really
need to get that 20-30 second stretch to really lengthen out that muscle.
So then for the piriformis, afterwards if you get that piriformis worked out.
And a lot of times that makes a big difference just because that sciatic nerve runs under
that piriformis.
So if it's tight, if it has some trigger points in it, once you get it released, it's gonna
feel a lot better.
And then you can stretch it out afterwards.
You can do this sitting in a chair.
Sometimes people have a hard time getting up off the floor, but just take the side that
you want to stretch and cross it over.
So again, see I could do this sitting in a chair and just cross my leg over.
You want to keep your back fairly straight.
And you can do one of two things.
You can slide the other foot up to get the stretch.
And I'm feeling that piriformis stretch right through there.
Or you can just get to where it's a little tight and then just kind of push your whole
body up forward.
But try not to bend your back because then you're not really getting that stretch.
You want your hips to come forward when you do that stretch and I feel a really good stretch
right through there.
So again, you can get those trigger points anywhere.
A lot of times trigger points are all throughout the body.
Again the IT band's a pig one, the piriformis, up in the neck area, but there's some in other
places.
In your quads, your calves, and things like that.
So getting that trigger point release is really important because then you're gonna be able
to get that extra stretch in there.
And then stretching afterwards to make sure that trigger point doesn't come back is really
the best thing to do.
So if you're interested in purchasing the Flux, make sure and click on the link up there.
And don't forget to subscribe by clicking down there.
And remember, be safe, have fun, and I hope you feel better soon.