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In the video below, we’ll go through some simple myofascial release tools. You can use these to massage your own trigger points, turn off your pain and ease your movement.
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What I’d like to do is show you some tools some myofascial release tools from a company called Pressure Positive. These are interesting tools that you can use to treat your own trigger points.
Often a lot of the time, I teach people how to treat themselves using their hands, which are our most sensitive tool. But if you have sore hands or arthritis, you may actually find that you flare your hands whilst treating triggers elsewhere.
Similarly, trigger points can be in a place like your back, shoulders, or buttock, or the backs of your thighs, which are impossible to reach by yourself. In this case, using a tool to treat yourself is your best option.
There are three different types of tools we’ll look at. And the links above show where you can go and get them if you like them.
The first tool is this which is a very cool thing called an orbit massager. It’s a big ball that rotates around and you can hold on to it. You can either just hold the block or there is an elastic so it fits into the palm of your hand.
The beauty of this myofascial release tool is that because it rolls, you can find trigger points quite easily. You can roll around quite fast keeping a lot of pressure.
Once you’ve found an active trigger
The second tool is called the Original Knobble Massage tool. It’s a very simple elegant tool. Again, it just fits easily into your hand.
The pointed bit goes onto the trigger point. It’s fairly accurate and you’ll notice it when you put pressure on active trigger point.s The beauty here how this workas as extension of your hand so your can feel exactly how hard you need to press to apply ischemic pressure to the trigger point.
You can use the ischemic pressure principle to relase trigger points. This means you press hard enough to feel pain. Then reduce the pressure, relax and breathe. Keep the
What you’re doing is deactivating the trigger. You breathe, relax, breathe again and then you’ll find after 15-20 seconds I can start to push a bit harder.
Then, gradually increase the pressure. It often takes 60 to 90 seconds, or a long as two and a half minutes to do the trigger point release.
Using slowly increasing pressure, you can keep going until you push as hard as you like, without causing pain.
You’ve now deactivated the trigger. These two tools are lovely. However, they work best on triggers you can easily reach with your hands.
To turn off myofascial triggers which are harder to reach (like the very common trapezius point) you can use another tool called the Backnobber.
To use the Backnobber, find the trigger point and press. This myoscial release tool you can use down your back and on your legs.
You find the trigger point and turn it off using
This is a very effective myofascial release technique, which you can do with the original Backnobber, Orbit Massager, or Knobble Massage tool. Three lovely tools, strongly made, simple, elegant. Using them will help reduce strain on
At the end of the day, you do not want to hurt your hands while trying to treat your trigger points, and there’s no reason you need to.
The Theracane – great for getting to points in your back – as well as getting leverage so you don’t tire out your hands doing trigger point releases. Another advantage – if you can arrange things so you relax into the theracane you can more easily reach deep triggers.
A Tennis Ball – ’nuff said. It’s a good substitute for a Theracane. You can also put one in a sock and lean with it against a wall to target back triggers more accurately.
Hot packs – there are several options here. Quite a lot of people like ‘electric blanket’ type heat packs – they do stay hot for far longer, and the heat is more easily controlled. Here’s one popular option.
My pick? A simple wheat bag that you can microwave – with the added advantage of a nice baking bread smell.
Cold Packs – flexible packs are best, though at a pinch you can always use a handful of ice in a tea towel.
There’s a lot of other suggestions in the comments below, and I’ve added a summary list of what you’ve all recommended.
“Tear up old terry towls into 5-6″ squares soak them in water, wring out and place each in a ziplock bag and freeze for a maleable ice pack to curve around limbs. I have also frozen them over a rounded surface the size of the limb I plan to treat. Works great!”
“An electric blanket”
“A thermal pad – here’s one popular option.“
“The Theracane works great: but cut an X in tennis ball (little ones great) stick onto protrusions on cane Not as painful an stay on trigger point longer.”
“I use “The Stick” – a toothbrush for your muscles.”
“Use a 60mm high bounce rubber ball against the wall. It doesn’t slip like the ball in a sock. A lacrosse ball is good for people who need deeper pressure.”
“Pressure Positive makes good trigger point release tools.”
“The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress. These are a bit softer than a tennis ball, and you can, indeed, relax into them. Only about 10 pounds sterling from Amazon, includes a very handy little book which explains very clearly how to use them and lots of useful stretches and breathing exercises.”
“My favorite tools that I use are a foam roller and a lacrosse ball.”
“I use a wooden rolling pin. I use it on my quads when they are tight and by putting my foot up on a stool I can roll out my calves. Excellent! I also roll a tennis ball under my foot to relieve tightness from plantar faciitis. I keep it on the floor next to my computer station so I remember to routinely use it.”
“Instead of a tennis ball, I find a rubber baseball works very well for me for the lower back.”
“A memory foam pillow keeps my neck supported and generally spasm free.”
“Using the Fenix board on my problem trigger points a few minutes a day has truly been the difference between having intolerable chronic pain and leading a pain-free life. The best $115 investment I have ever made.”
“An overall soothing hot bath with several cups of Epsom Salts (Magnesium)”
“For Trigger Points in Sternocleidomastoid and Scalenes I use a small amount of lavender oil at night and gently massage both muscles to release tension in them and thus alleviate head pain.”