The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, 2nd Edition

I originally purchased this book along with Body Back Buddy Classic Trigger Point Massager - Pain Relief Self Massage Tool - The Best Self Massage Tool - with a 12 page instruction booklet for my husband to use for his back pain. A few months later when I started experiencing pain in the back of my thighs, calves, and buttocks, I had to use this book too. I'd been having pain off and on in those areas for a few months and didn't think much about it because it never lasted very long and the pain would go away for months at a time then come back. Then came the day that the pain didn't go away & a deep, throbbing ache would wake me up every night. Sometimes I'd feel nauseous from the pain. I started using the Body Back Massager on my painful areas...but it didn't help. Using a heating pad & taking 2 naproxen at a time barely helped. I thought it was time for me to pull out this book and begin reading. I learned that massaging my painful areas wasn't going to relieve me of my pain...I had to massage the myofascial trigger points. In a nutshell, myofascial trigger points are tender or painful areas on muscles (when pressed firmly) that refer pain to other areas. Pressing on the trigger point will usually send pain to the very areas you're experiencing it. Once I applied the proper deep stroke massage to the trigger points (I used the Body Back Buddy Classic Trigger Point Massager - Pain Relief Self Massage Tool - The Best Self Massage Tool - with a 12 page instruction booklet ), the referred pain went away. It took about 1 1/2 days of using the proper technique for me to sleep through the night without waking up at 3 AM in pain. I still have some discomfort & will continue massaging the trigger points (I had several) at least 6 times a day. Be sure to read Chapter Three to learn the proper way to massage myofascial trigger points. Actually, I recommend reading the first 3 chapters to learn all about myofascial trigger points and some of the surprising causes: allergies, anxiety & tension, vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies, sitting too long, surgery, slings, casts, injection in the gluteal muscle, & calcium channel blockers, to name a few. Surprising myofascial trigger point symptoms range from wetting the bed, dizziness, tinnitus, carpal tunnel, swollen ankles, feet, hands or wrists, excessive eye tearing, sinus problems; for women: painful intercourse, menstrual pain, again naming a few. Even arthritis & herniated discs have trigger points, so deep stroke massage on those trigger points can diminish pain for these & other conditions. Chronic pain is also covered & is harder to treat. I highly recommend this book. It is easy to use; the myofascial trigger points are represented by black circles, the areas the trigger points refer pain to are shaded in. The book is broken down into sections such as head and neck; shoulder, upper back & upper arm; elbow forearm & hand; midback, low back, & buttock pain; to name a few, with clear illustrations throughout the book. Myofascia trigger points in the entire body are covered. Many chapters include a true life experience of someone who has experienced pain, what caused it and how they dealt with it. Also, this book shows how to use your hands, elbows, tennis balls, etc. to massage the trigger points; it also has illustrations using the Thera Cane and references the Knobble & Backnobber. In my experience the Body Back Buddy Massager worked fine. UPDATE: After finally ridding myself of the deep, aching pain that was waking me regularly, I developed off and on pain (not as bad) in another close-by area. I've had a hard time finding any trigger points, continued using the Body Back massager, and decided to add calcium supplements (recommended in this book) to my diet. I don't drink milk because I'm lactose intolerant. It seems that the calcium supplements are helping; the off & on pain is lessening. update...after using calcium citrate supplements for about a month...the off & on pain is completely gone! I never would've guessed that in each case of pain I experienced...that the solutions would've been so simple.

This book may be the best purchase I have ever made. I know that sounds extreme, but for less than the cost of a doctor visit co-payment, this book showed me how to relieve chronic pain in several areas -- pain that I had been dealing with for years. My family doctor, 3 different physical therapists, an orthopedic surgeon, and a really good chiropractor had all failed to properly diagnose and treat the problem that was causing the pain. This book showed me how to find and fix the problem myself. I was able to treat myself and completely relieve pain that I thought would never go away. I bought this book after reading reviews of some books on shoulder pain. Several people mentioned this book as a better solution. If you're one of them, THANK YOU. This book was a last-ditch effort to avoid surgery. I read the first few chapters (which provide a really thorough, easy to understand explanation of what trigger points are, what they do, and how to treat them), and then I went directly to the section that dealt with the part of the shoulder I had been having a problem with. I went down the list of muscles given for pain in that specific part of the shoulder, looked-up each of those muscles in their respective sections, feeling for trigger points where the illustrations showed that they might be; and within about 20 minutes, I was able to find and release the trigger point that had been causing me pain for many years. I then proceeded to read the whole book cover-to-cover. As I read, I felt for each of the muscles described (most of them, anyway), and checked them all for trigger points. I really wasn't expecting anything, but actually found and released several trigger points that had been causing pain that I had been sure was caused by other issues. I was able to relieve pain in my knee, foot, hip, back, neck; and now, I even know how to prevent and/or alleviate my headaches that I had previously attributed to allergies and stress -- AND I avoided shoulder surgery! I used to have to keep going back to the chiropractor to re-align my neck; but I haven't been there once since finding and fixing the trigger point that had been constantly pulling my spine out of alignment. It's been two years since I bought this book, and my shoulder still feels great. It has acted up a couple of times, but I've been able to fix it right away by simply massaging the same spot where I originally found the problematic trigger point. I have also found that by periodically massaging each of the areas where I initially found trigger points, I have been able to avoid and/or alleviate most of the common every-day aches and pains that I had become accustomed to over the years. This book is a very well-written, easy-to-follow guide that will show you how to find and treat trigger points that you (and your doctor) never knew were there. It will help you get rid of chronic pain. It will help you to understand what types of activities caused the trigger points (and how to prevent them from reoccurring). And, it will enable you to live a healthier, happier, more pain-free life. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Words cannot possibly do it justice. If you have ANY chronic or recurring pain, please read this book. It could help you as much as it has helped me -- and if it doesn't, it will have cost you less than a visit to the doctor. Dr. Davies (Yes, I realize you're not an M.D.; but no "real" doctor has ever done as much for me as your book has), thank you for all of the time, effort, thought, and concern you put into your book. It was a pleasure to read, and has had a major impact on the quality of my life. I cannot thank you enough for making this information available.

This is by far one of the most valuable books I will ever own. As a fibromyalgia sufferer, I spent decades going to pain clinics, chiropractors, and physical therapists. My doctors tossed narcotic pain pills at me for nearly 10 years while I continued to struggle with pain. The drugs did help in the short term, but the pain always returned. I wanted a CURE...not a pain band-aid. I wanted to be pain free permanently. What a blessing that we came upon this book! Sections of the book are divided by areas of the body. Within each section you will find short case histories of patients and their pain symptoms. The book then details, through well illustrated line drawings of human figures, the exact location of pain and referred pain points. Oftentimes, a headache actually originates in the shoulder muscles. Massaging your forehead won't help! A knowledge of massage techniques is not needed...I mean, how hard it is to rub your hand back and forth on a muscle? I cannot stress enough that the simplest, most effective method of muscle pain relief is massage. A vast majority of people refuse to believe that something so simple can bring pain relief. Those persons are entitled to their opinions (and their pain pills), but I much prefer to save thousands of dollars a year on healthcare. The information within this book applies not only to fibromyalgia suffers but to anyone and everyone that encounters muscle pain at any time. In addition, I like the simplicity of it. My dear husband can quickly refer to the book, find the location of muscles that he should massage based upon my symptoms, and have me pain free in a matter of minutes. For those who live alone, the book is designed such that the massage can actually be done on oneself no matter the location of the pain. Amazing! This is the third copy I've purchased. We have so much faith in this book that we have gifted it to friends who suffer from various muscle pains. I hope to purchase and give many more copies of the book in the coming years so that those around me may be free of pain for life. Buy it...it'll pay for itself a million times over! A final note. If you tend to suffer back pain (especially spinal pain due to misalignment) I would recommend an additional program. I have also used the 'Lose the Back Pain' program (find it at [...]). I haven't been to the chiropractor in 10 years now. It's that good! You too can be pain free without doctors, pain pills, or medical bills.

This is certainly a good bang for the buck for a book on this topic, especially for one so specific. It gives a good basis for understanding WHY things hurt and WHERE things hurt and WHY THERE, as well as what to do about it. I can't attest to all the points (I think one would need to be a contortionist for some of them, actually, for complete self-care--thank goodness for loved ones who can lend a hand, or elbow...), but the ones I was able to utilize--mostly for back pain and leg pain--are pretty good. Whether you think that trigger points are the base of all pain evils (I happen to think that they are contributors and part of the picture, rather than the gospel), that doesn't take away from the reality that they can be effective as part of pain management and can certainly bring some relief. And when you deal with pain, 'some relief' is a GOOD thing. Be aware that some of the things in the book require more than just hands--small balls or trigger point funny poles with weird angles and knobs...--I didn't see myself using metal contraptions, but I did get the small Foot Rubz hand and back massage balls (the funny porcupine ones), and I find the size and texture helpful for getting into some of the points I cannot realistically 'lean into' while also not contorting my arms behind my back... Overall--if you have pain--go for it. Certainly worth the investment of money--and time (this is not a quick read book).

A friend of mine recommended this book when I told him about some wrist pain that I had (which I assumed was carpal tunnel, due to my heavy keyboard/mouse use as an IT professional). For the low price of about $20 (which I think it's even cheaper now) I bought this workbook, and I have never looked back. The book has a great preamble about the concept of trigger point therapy, and why it makes so much sense. It has numerous example success stories, and talks a little bit about how the overall medical community has not yet embraced the idea of the therapy. I used the great illustrations and descriptions in the book to find trigger points for various muscle pains, and I am extremely pleased with the results. I'm not one to believe much in homeopathic medicine. I don't believe much in natural methods of healing, although they can have their uses. This book says that most of the carpal tunnel surgeries that are performed are completely unnecessary! I know the medical community would probably not like that to be heard, but I'm a believer at this point. Using the easy-to-follow instructions in the book, I have found numerous places over time where I've had pain, and after as few as 2 sessions of about 5-10 minutes each, the pain was completely gone. Example: I pulled the muscle in the top of my foot (the one you use if you were to raise your toes off the ground while standing) and it was extremely painful to walk. I found the trigger point for that muscle, which (if I recall correctly) was about 6 inches up my shin) and I could tell instantly when I found it because when I pushed on that spot, the muscle in my foot would hurt. I massaged that point, and in about 7-8 minutes the pain was completely gone, never to return. Ever since then I have been a believer. I used the ideas in this book to help my brother-in-law who had severe back pain... he said it hurt to breathe, and within about 10 minutes he said it was so much better he couldn't thank me enough. This book was well worth the cost. I still have several pages bookmarked for easy reference.

I highly recommend this book if you have a continued nagging pain and have been unsuccessfull finding relief. This book is an excellent Compliment to Physical Therapy for severe pain, but is a Practical Guide to some of the smaller nagging pains we experience. I had suffered with Plantar Faciatus and then Achilles Tendonitis for most of 2007. Staying off my feet wasn't an option. Expensive Orthodics proved useless. After leaving 1 podiatrist that initiated an MRI of my ankles, and responded with - "just years of stress, call me if you need anything", I sought a different podiatrist. The new podiatrist sent me to Physical Therapy for 1 foot, while I had a stress fracture on the other. In a few weeks time I noticed remarkable improvement. I continued with the exercises, but still had some issues with tight calf muscles. So I did more research on my own, and came across this book. The techniques in the book point out that when we have stiff and or tight muscles, they may need some extra work to loosen up. Frequent proffesional Massage is costly while these techniques you can do YOURSELF. I can finally walk WITHOUT my feet and ankles aching. I have also gotten rid of that nagging stiff neck I had for months(years actually), and never found much relief from. I had what I called "computer mouse shoulder" where muscles in my upper back ached all the time...NOT ANY MORE!!!!!!! The author does not attempt to replace proffesional treatment when required, but due to his own experience with LACK of help by professionals, and his own research, study, and massage mastering, he has provided a simple, easy to follow guide to loosen tight muscles that are causing mild to severe pain to parts of your body. I only wish I would have found this book years ago!!!!!

I'm 33 years old and I have suffered from chronic back pain for the past two years and I have FINALLY found relief-thanks SO MUCH to Clair Davies for writing this book!! Over the past 2 years I have been to three different doctors, three different physical therapists and several massage therapists. The pain never went away. I had x-rays and an MRI done to check for back problems. 'Nothing' was wrong with me. There was no diagnosis. I knew everyone was beginning to think I was crazy/psychosomatic. I was beginning to think I was too. My current doctor told me that my only option for treatment was painkillers. Having been an athlete and a fairly active person for most of my life I just couldn't accept that there wasn't some way to correct this problem. I knew my body pretty well and knew that something was off but no one could tell me what that was so I kept doing my own research online. I came across Davies book about a year ago and was skeptical. I wish I would have bought it then. I finally decided to give it a try about a week ago and I'm already feeling the relief. I'm not 100 percent yet but it's only been a week and these trigger points have taken quite a toll on my body for the last two years so I think it's going to take some time to heal completely and I don't know if I'll ever be in the shape I was in a few years ago but at least Davies has given me the knowledge and tools to begin treating and fixing my soft tissue problems. I think the book is very easy to understand and one can begin treating themselves almost immediately after some cursory reading. I recommend going to the chapter for whichever part of the body you are having problems with, look at the diagrams and find the area in which you are experiencing pain and then massage those trigger points associated with that pain. Follow Davies guidelines on how to massage the trigger points but listen to your body and do what feels right and best. You may need more or less depending on your body. In my experience (and Davies says this too), you should feel a tightness/pain/tenderness where that trigger point exists. That's how you know you're actually getting to it. I do my trigger point therapy 2-3 times a day, more on the weekends, and massage the trigger points around 6 times each or sometimes more. My pain has been on my left side and I have been focusing on my piriformis and neck trigger points on my left side. Only one week of self-treatment and the left side of my body has opened up tremendously. The left side of my body is starting to feel more and more normal and stronger everyday. I will update you on my progress in a few weeks. I don't normally write reviews but I felt it was very important for me to say something about how this book has helped me. Before this treatment I thought it was over. I was so depressed and I really believed that I was going to have to put up with the pain for the rest of my life. Now I have hope again and that means so much to me. So please know that this is true and honest review and if you're a person who suffers from mysterious chronic pain, give this book a try. Even if it turns out that this treatment doesn't correct your problems, it's worth a try for only 20 bucks. In my opinion it's invaluable. I wish general practitioners knew more about and recommended this kind of treatment. Then again I guess that means less money for the drug companies but that's a topic for another day! To Davies and the pioneers who came before him-words can not express my gratitude.

On the plus side, the author provides a wealth, if not a sea, of information and no doubt knows what he's talking about. In fact, he impresses you as an artist with the accurate and strong fingers of a premiere concert pianist. There's no "filler" in the book--work sheets, questionnaires, wasted space--just lots of physiological detail about the musculature of the human body, the places where it hurts, and the places to attack to eliminate the hurting places. Indeed, there's something refreshing about hearing an expert talking about localized areas of the body and rapid symptomatic relief as opposed to all sorts of systemic problems and long-term solutions involving diet, exercise, drugs, posture, lifestyle changes, etc. The author appears to minimize the differences between fibromyalgia and myofascial problems, between "tender" and "trigger" points, though close reading will reveal some caveats and qualifiers concerning some of his suggested remedies. Does his approach work? Apparently it does for many. I wonder, however, how many readers soon discover that they have as many trigger points as muscles, making the task of selection and location impossibly daunting. Or to take the opposite extreme I wonder how many readers experience muscle pain for which there appears to be no trigger point--no specific area that hurts upon repeated poking and probing--instead a flaring up of pain only when walking, moving, sitting, etc. In any case, should you be fortunate enough to locate a trigger point, the next step is to rub the bejeezes out of it, 6-12 times a day, 10-20 seconds each time. I tried it for a quasi-disabling pain, top of my right foot. The result a week later: two pains instead of one. My shin bone, where the trigger point referring pain to my foot is supposed to reside, hurts from all the rubbing, and the foot is no better. No big deal. I'm such a lousy golfer that being unable to resume play comes as a sort of relief of its own.

I have been battling facial and TMJ pain for over eight years, and have sought the help of every kind of health care professional that I thought could possibly help relieve my nearly constant pain, all to no avail (GP, several dentists, orthodontists, a rheumatologist, a physiotherapist, and a maxillofacial surgeon). Finally, with the aid of this book, I am making steady progress in alleviating my suffering. It offers a simple, proven method for self-therapy by addressing a misunderstood and often-overlooked source of the great majority of chronic pain - trigger points that can develop in every muscle of the body. Beginning with the history of how the author came to write this book (and how he became a massage therapist because of his own chronic pain) & an explanation of the underlying theory of trigger points, the book presents a vast amount of information in a logical, clear & easily-understood manner with excellent illustrations that clarify the text. The author makes it clear that performing deep pressure massage of trigger points properly will hurt (and it does, sometimes a lot), but I have found that brief periods of medium to moderate pain are preferable to the torture of constant low-level chronic pain. A nasty old low back problem happened to return with a vengeance while I was early into the book, and I used its techniques to tackle it within a few days, killing the pain that even my chiropractor could not quell. (As explained in the book, a Theracane is necessary or at least recommended for massaging some areas, so I bought one for forty bucks - a good investment). In summary - the book is well worth the price, which is half of the cost of a single visit to my chiropractor. If my review can lead to even one other person using this book to find relief, I will consider the time spent writing it worthwhile.

簡単に言ってしまうと、マッサージのやり方が書いてある本です。 『誰でもできるトリカーホイントの探し方・治し方』という名前で翻訳もされていて、そちらは五千円を超える高価な本ですが、それでも非常に評価が高いです。 首痛、腰痛や五十肩などに代表される慢性的な筋肉の痛みのほとんどはトリガーポイントという筋肉が凝った部分が出来るために生じるのであり、そこをほぐしてやれば首痛、腰痛や五十肩などは改善する、という理屈にもとづいて、身体のある部分に痛みがある場合、身体のどの部分をどのようにマッサージすればいいか、誰にでも分かるように多くの図を使ってわかりやすく解説しています。 ちなみに拳銃の引き金のことも英語でトリガーといいますが、まさに痛みの引き金となっているのがトリガーポイントだということです。 やっていることの外形を見れば似たようなもんですが、日本で主流のツボや経絡を中心に刺激するあんま、指圧系のマッサージとは、原理的には全く違うものです。 トリガーポイントの理屈を前提に、痛みの緩和という場面だけに限って両者を比較すると、ツボを刺激し気の流れをよくすることによってトリガーポイントの凝りがほぐれることを期待するツボや経絡を刺激する従来型のマッサージより、痛みの原因のトリガーポイントをじかにほぐすトリガーポイントセラピーのほうが、より痛みにたいして直接的なセラピーだということになるのではないかと思います。 この本の特徴は、セルフケアに重点が置かれてるところです。 背中などの自分の手が届きにくい部分は道具を使ってマッサージをする方法が詳しく書かれています。 セラケーンという道具を使った方法が多いですが、テニスボールなどを使用する方法なども解説されています。 ツボ押しのための道具でも代用できるかと思い試してみましたが、ツボ刺激を目的とする器具は先端が尖っているものが多いので、トリガーポイントをほぐすのには向いていません。 セラケーンか、類似品でより多機能なボディーバックバディー（どちらもアマゾンで購入可能）のような、先端があまり尖っていない丸まっているものが適していると思います。 ちなみに私はボディーパックバディーを購入しました。 実際にこの本の指示通りにマッサージをしたところ、かなりの即効性があります。 数日やっただけで頑固な首の痛みがかなり軽減し、固まっていた肩の関節がかなり緩んできたような気がします。 数週間続ければ、日常生活ではほとんど気にならないレベルまで痛みが軽減するのではないかと思います。 英語が読める方であれば、原本で読まれた方がかなり安上がりで、日本語訳との差額にわずかにプラスするだけでセラケーンかボディーバックバディーのどちらかまで購入できます。 全身の筋肉の名前やいろいろな身体の症状など、一般書ではあまりお目にかからない単語も多く出てきますが、図を使った解説が多いので、そんなに難しくはありません。 医療系の勉強をされている方などは、図入りの解説で筋肉の名前が覚えられていいのではないでしょうか 医学の専門書ではなく、一般向けに書かれた本なので、語彙以外に難しいところはありません。 英語が読める方で、首痛、肩こり、腰痛などの症状に苦しんでるかたには是非おすすめしたい本です。 英語が読めない方も、五千円以上出して日本語訳を買っても損はしないと思います。 ちなみに本書の翻訳をした同じメンバーが、「誰でもできるトリガーポイントの探し方・治し方 【腰痛】」という紛らわしい名前の本も翻訳していますが、これは"Trigger Point Therapy for Low Back Pain: A Self-Treatment Workbook"という違う著者の本の翻訳（ちなみにこの本も評価が高い）。 この本の著者の"The Frozen Shoulder Workbook: Trigger Point Therapy for Overcoming Pain & Regaining Range of Motion"という肩の症状に特化した著作の日本語訳は、現在のところまだ出ていないようです。

J'ai commandé cet ouvrage en 2009 pour traiter une tendinite invalidante et récalcitrante au coude (partie médiale). Guérie en une seule journée et n'est plus jamais réapparue, un vrai miracle! Cet ouvrage est très complet et richement illustré, même si les illustrations ne sont pas particulièrement sexy et sont en noir et blanc. Le format large est bien adapté. Outre le traitement des trigger points, l'auteur donne également des conseils pour prévenir leur formation. Au final, un des ouvrages les plus utiles que j'ai lus.

Recommended by my massage therapist so I ordered it and am glad that I did. Understanding your trigger points is the point of departure for improving your health.

Very good book