Trigger Point Therapy - Yoga and Stretching

 Internationally recognised Yoga Instructor Yoni Kedem presents the NAT online course Yoga Anatomy for Trigger Points

If trigger points result in diminished flexibility, can they be treated with yoga?

There is a lot of "chatter" about yoga for trigger points, but also a fair amount of confusion.

Trigger points are basically knots in the muscles that result through injury or overuse. They are also believed by many to be a key part of the body's natural "protect and defend" mechanism.

In addition to pain (often referred pain), active trigger points will cause the muscles to become shorter and stiffer, leading to a lack of flexibility and restricted range of movement.

It seems logical therefore that yoga and other forms of stretching will effectively reduce the problem. Is this right? This is where the confusion begins as the answer is both "yes" and "no".

Whilst in some cases stretching out the muscles may result in return to normal motion and even a reduction of pain, it is also possible to cause more damage by over-stretching the host muscles.

Benefits of Yoga

Practicing yoga and even individual yoga poses bring many healthful benefits.

When treating clients for trigger points, yoga poses are often used to stretch out the muscle, making problem areas easier to identify.

Practicing yoga can also result in better body awareness of where and how deep the problem areas might be.

However, whilst yoga is always beneficial for healthy muscles, yoga poses alone are unlikely to dissipate trigger points or scar tissue.

Trigger Point Release

There are a number of approaches used to treat trigger points and these all involve some form of direct pressure to create a release and help encourage muscles to return to normal health.

Yoga poses will not deliver the same effect, but are often used as a complement to direct treatments as part of the treatment and healing process.

About Yoni Kedem

Yoni Kedem is an internationally recognized yoga instructor, having gained his yoga teaching certificate from Gili and Miri Haruvi and Eyal Chachenovsky. Yoni studied movement and touch for 4 years under the tutorship of Avi Bachat, and is a graduate of Yoga therapy as taught by Dr. Gil Zolberg. He subsequently worked for 6 years as an assistant to Ztipi Vyner of the Iyengar Institute prior to opening his studio in Tel Aviv, Israel.

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We are honored to have received the "Excellence in Education" Award from the National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists.

Since 1999 Niel Asher Education has won numerous awards for education and in particular for education and services provided in the field of trigger point therapy.

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Niel Asher Healthcare course instructors have won a host of prestigious awards including 2 lifetime achievement honorees - Stuart Hinds, Lifetime Achievement Honoree, AAMT, 2015, and Dr. Jonathan Kuttner, MD, Lifetime Achievement Honoree, NAMTPT, 2014.

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This trigger point therapy blog is intended to be used for information purposes only and is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment or to substitute for a medical diagnosis and/or treatment rendered or prescribed by a physician or competent healthcare professional. This information is designed as educational material, but should not be taken as a recommendation for treatment of any particular person or patient. Always consult your physician if you think you need treatment or if you feel unwell.