Modality
Trigger Point Therapy in Seattle
Trigger point therapy applies focused, sustained pressure to hyperirritable knots in muscle that cause local pain and send pain to other parts of the body.
Combined with myofascial release, it resolves stubborn referral patterns behind headaches, neck, shoulder, low back and hip pain.
Who it helps
- Tension headaches and pain behind the eyes or at the temples
- Neck and shoulder knots from desk work and phone use
- Low back, glute and hip pain, including piriformis-type symptoms
- Jaw pain and clenching
- Pain that radiates or seems to come from somewhere else
- Overuse strain in active people
What a session feels like
Your therapist locates the knot within a tight band of muscle and applies steady pressure. You may feel a familiar ache spread to where you usually feel pain, a sign the right point has been found.
Pressure is held until the point softens, often within 30 to 90 seconds. Your feedback guides the depth throughout. Surrounding tissue is released first so the work is more comfortable and the result holds.
How it’s different
General massage covers broad areas. Trigger point therapy is precise: it targets the specific points that generate the pain pattern.
It also differs from deep tissue massage in pace: pressure is held still on one point rather than moved along the muscle.
Treating the knot alone often fails because tight fascia pulls the muscle straight back into tension. Pairing trigger point work with myofascial release clears the surrounding restriction so released fibers can stay long.
How many sessions
Many clients feel immediate relief. Points that have been active for a long time may need a short series of sessions, combined with posture and ergonomic changes, to stop recurring.
A 60-minute session suits one pain pattern, such as headaches from the neck and shoulders. If you have pain in several areas, or a pattern that involves the low back, hips and legs together, 90 minutes gives your therapist time to trace and treat the whole chain.
Between sessions, your therapist may show you how to apply gentle pressure to your own key points and suggest small changes to how you sit or work.
Trigger Point Therapy questions
What is a trigger point?
A hyperirritable spot within a taut band of muscle that is tender to touch and can refer pain elsewhere, such as from the upper shoulder into the head.
Does trigger point therapy hurt?
It can be intense for a moment, but it should feel like a relieving ache, not sharp pain. Your therapist adjusts pressure to your feedback.
Can it help my headaches?
Many tension headaches are referred from trigger points in the neck, shoulders and jaw. Treating those points often reduces how often and how hard headaches hit. See your doctor about new or severe headaches.
Why does pain show up somewhere other than the knot?
Trigger points refer pain along predictable patterns. A point in the upper trapezius often sends pain to the temple, and points in the glutes can send it down the leg. Treating the source point is what eases the referred pain.
