The Center for Optimum Health & Pain Therapy
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| Back Pain |
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| Pain Therapy
Using Trigger Point Myofascial Techniques.
Skeletal muscle is the largest organ in the human body. Any of these muscles may develop pain and dysfunction due to taut bands, trigger points, tender spots and sensitised joint tissues that have to be accurately located and properly identified for effective corrective therapy. In modern society, myofascial pain is a major cause of poor health. It may present as a regional musculoskeletal pain pattern, such as in neck or back pain. It may also present as shoulder pain with associated capsulitis, and hip or knee pain with related osteoarthritis.
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Myofascial Pain is Treatable.
However, myofascial pain is often under-diagnosed and hence undertreated. Traditional therapeutic training and management of musculoskeletal pain have focused much more attention on bones, joints and nerves. As such, myofascial trigger point therapy fills a gap to specifically address problems that often fail to respond to other forms of therapy or treatment.
What Is Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy?
Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy is a discipline that is a therapeutic modality used for the relief of pain and dysfunction originating in the muscles and connective tissue; "myo" means muscle and "fascial" refers to connective tissue. The goal of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy is recovery from, or a significant reduction in, pain and postural dysfunction.
What Are Myofascial Trigger Points?
Myofascial Trigger Points are tender nodules that are most often found where the nerve fiber innervates the muscle. When these specific nodular points are pressed they often refer or radiate pain away from the site of pressure or “trigger”. Hence, myofascial trigger points are associated with taut bands of muscle and sensitized connective tissue that limits the ability for a muscle to properly lengthen or a joint structure to effectively move without pain or discomfort.
What Can I expect?
My practice centers upon treating the client by conducting a detailed analysis. First a client history is taken. In order to determine a specific muscular pain pattern I conduct an in-depth assessment of the following ranges of motion in problem muscles or joints:
- Active Range of Motion (AROM)
- Passive Range of Motion (PROM)
- Resisted Range of Motion (RROM)
This assessment allows me to identify those muscles and connective tissues which are over-facilitated and which ones are under-facilitated. Over-facilitated “tight” myofascial tissues are the one’s that usually exhibit trigger points, taut bands and remain in sustained contraction. Under-facilitated “weak” myofascial tissues are the one’s that are functionally weak causing joint instability and resulting in other tissues becoming over-facilitated to compensate for their dormancy.
Over-facilitated myofascial tissues are then released using trigger point therapy techniques, myofascial release methods, orthopedic massage, active-isolated stretching, passive mobilization of joints and neuromuscular facilitation.
Under-facilitated myofascial tissues are tonified by muscular origin/insertion manipulation, acupressure points, muscle spindle techniques and Golgi tendon reflexes.
By balancing the relationship of over-facilitated and under-facilitated muscles the client’s posture achieves structural alignment and the ability of a problem joint to move freely is greatly enhanced.
I also draw from the techniques and practices of a variety of health and wellness disciplines in order to arrive at nutritional recommendations and corrective exercise programs to build up and better sustain client’s ability to move in their new pain free range of motion.
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Therapy sessions are by appointment only. To schedule an appointment please call 724-986-0100 or email me at rmetz@pghpainremedies.com
Robert Metz, MS, CMTPT, CSCS
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Disclaimer: Any content on these web pages, to include but not limited to, written information, images or links is presented for educational purposes only and is not intended as a diagnosis, prescription, or treatment for any disease or illness whether it be physical or mental. It is also not intended in any way as a substitute for regular medical care under a qualified physician or other health care professional of your own choosing. It is recommended to consult your chosen health care provider when altering your health care practices.
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