Trigger Point Massage and Orthodynamics

Our Healthcare Providers are skilled in trigger point massage, a specific manual therapy technique used to treat myofascial trigger points (TrPs)—hyper-irritable, painful spots located within taut bands of skeletal muscle. When compressed, these points often cause characteristic referred pain, felt elsewhere in the body. The pain originates from a local energy crisis in the muscle fibres; sustained contraction restricts blood flow, causing metabolic waste products to accumulate, which sensitises local nerve endings.

The massage involves applying sustained, direct pressure to the trigger point to momentarily restrict blood flow, followed by release. This action floods the area with fresh, oxygenated blood, helping to wash away waste products and mechanically lengthen the shortened muscle fibres. This technique is highly effective for managing conditions rooted in muscular tension, such as chronic headaches or back pain.

Trigger Point Massage combines with Orthodynamics, a method centred on the mechanical principles of correct body function, alignment, and movement. It integrates various elements of posture, biomechanics, and rehabilitation to ensure the body moves efficiently, thereby preventing injury and reducing strain. In a therapeutic context, Orthodynamics serves to identify and correct the underlying cause of the problem, unlike trigger point massage which treats the symptom. A trigger point often forms because of poor posture or faulty movement patterns; therefore, by teaching the patient Orthodynamic principles—how to stand, sit, lift, and move correctly—the practitioner helps to reduce the chronic mechanical strain that initially led to the trigger point formation.

This makes the two approaches entirely complementary: trigger point massage provides immediate relief by resolving the muscular knot, while Orthodynamics provides the education and correction needed for lasting functional change.