Pilates using a Reformer         A Strong Core May Help Prevent Active Trigger Points   Pilates emphasizes your body’s core and is great discipline for helping to avoid the development of active trigger points Pilates is named after its inventor, Joseph Pilates, a former gymnast and physical trainer.  Pilates was a sickly child and he dedicated his entire life to improving his physical strength. He was introduced by his father to gymnastics, body-building and to martial arts like jiu jitsu and boxing.   Pilates came to believe that the "modern" lifestyle, posture and inefficient breathing lay at the roots of poor health....

  The Hamstring Muscles   Hamstrings - Trigger Point Anatomy Because the hamstrings have their origin at the sitting bones - Long periods of sitting may affect their function  We rely on our hamstring muscles for walking, jogging, running and jumping. These are the workhorse muscles that enable us to flex our knees and extend our hips at the beginning of each step that we take.  When we are walking, jogging or running, our hamstrings are antagonists to the quadriceps muscles in the action of deceleration of knee extension.  Anatomy The hamstrings consist of three muscles. From medial to lateral they...

Wrist Flexors         Wrist Flexor Trigger Points - Dr. Jonathan Kuttner   Nerve Entrapment Syndromes   The wrist flexors definitely tend to fall into that category of important muscle that most of us tend to take for granted.  The wrist flexors are busy working, not just at the gym, but when we are performing common daily tasks such as using mobile phones, gripping a steering wheel or even when we are doing the laundry.   Trigger points build up over time, and may be the precursor to more complex injuries when left untreated. Simple daily stretching may help to prevent the...

Piriformis Muscle          Your Sciatica-Type Pain Could Be Caused by Piriformis Syndrome     So called "Piriformis Syndrome" is a condition in which the piriformis muscle, located deep in the buttock region, spasms or contracts to cause a deep shooting type pain through the buttocks and usually down the back of the leg.  This typically happens when the piriformis muscle irritates the sciatic nerve which runs close by the muscle and in some cases even runs through the middle of the muscle. In addition to the shooting type pain, the symptoms of piriformis syndrome may also include tingling feeling and numbness also...

  Deltoid Muscle   Anterior Deltoid - How to Find Trigger Points       The deltoid, along with supraspinatus and associated rotator cuff muscles, will regularly develop myofascial trigger points as result of reduced core efficiency Failure to translate forces from the lower body to the shoulder will result in arthrokinematic stress and the formation of active myofascial trigger points. The restoration of core neuromuscular efficiency will provide a foundation for myofascial trigger point therapy, utilizing neuromuscular therapy and correctly prescribed exercise. Deltoid Trigger Points Pain is felt as a dull ache for the most part, with increased pain on contraction...