There is a great informational thread stickied at the top of this forum -
Sticky: Trigger point information {TrPs} for short
I have suffered from chronic pain from TrPs long before I was ever diagnosed with cervical neuropathy or TOS. I decided to make this thread to list all of the things I have tried, their effectiveness, and how I finally got things under control. I have been to 5 physical therapy centers (multiple therapists), a chiropractor, and close to 10 massage therapists. This is simply my experience I am sharing and may not apply to you or your condition.
- Deep Tissue Massage: made TrPs worse for me
- Swedish Massage: helped to relieve TrPs, but TrPs always started to return the next day
- ART - Active Release Technique: helped to relieve TrPs, but TrPs always started to return the next day
- Kenisiotaping: decent postural retraining, but tape starts to peal off after a couple of days
- IntelleSkin postural garment: much more effective than kenisiotaping, but still developed TrPs with strengthening/stretching exercises.
- Graston Technique: very painful therapy at first (with bruising), but relieved TrPs after several sessions and kept TrPs away until I started strengthening/stretching exercises.
- Vacuum Cupping/MEDICUPPING: similar effects to graston (with bruising), kept TrPs away until I started strengthening/stretching exercises.
- TENS/Ultrasound combo therapy: combo therapy relieved TrPs better than either modality alone.
- Backnobber/Therecane/tennis balls: great for calming down annoying TrPs but doesn't really get rid of them.
- Neuromuscular Massage Therapy: easily the best massage modality for TrPs/TOS I've experienced.
- Accupuncture: seemed to help, but can't be sure as I was having Neuromuscular Massage at the same time which was so helpful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DiMarie
The last time at the pain management the PA was working on trigger points to inject marcain etc, to calm down....
He was shocked at the amount of spasms and said a trigger is the "one" start of the spasm, he could not locate one...
DUH, with TOS, there is no "one" I gave him the ones that are the butcher knife by the wings to work on and it helped. Some of the cycle was broken.
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This mirrors my experience with TrP injections.
Lidoderm patches were less effective than TrP injections.
Ice made my TrPs worse.
Heat helped (hot showers, hot tubs, and Thermacare patches offered the best relief).