UNEXPLAINED PAIN EXPLAINED?

Aaahhh- the joys of getting older! I remember the days when I could run miles and miles with nary a stretch in sight. I use to scoff at my “Runner’s World” magazine which was primarily comprised of articles on injury prevention or what to do if you already had one. And they say CrossFit is dangerous?! I felt invincible… until I turned 37. Since then, it seems like I have had one nagging issue after another.

My weapons against trigger points!

It is common to find CrossFitters rolling out with foam rollers, smashing up against a wall with a lacrosse ball, or using bands to stretch various limbs, all in an effort to stay mobile. We work our bodies hard, and I admire those athletes that take time to do these things. The older that I have become, the more I am finding them to be a necessity. If you CrossFit and do not already have Kelly Starrett’s “Becoming a Supple Leopard,” which goes over these techniques, then I may doubt how seriously you take your sport of fitness.

I recently learned about the magic of trigger points. A trigger point is basically a small lump of muscle about the size of a pea that remains in a state of contraction. They are usually formed from overuse in the muscle or some kind of trauma in that area. The crazy thing about trigger points (and the main sign that you may have one) is that they refer pain to other areas in the body.

For example, I have had shoulder pain for over a year that runs down the back of my right shoulder and wraps around my deltoid to the front of my arm. Bench pressing, push-ups and dips have just about become impossible. I constantly rubbed my deltoid trying to ease the pain and never found any tender spots in it. I also don’t recall an incident where I injured that shoulder.

An example of the location of some trigger points and the pain they refer.

With some help, I have been able to identify a trigger point in a muscle in my shoulder blade (the infraspinatus, to be exact) that when pressed, replicates the exact searing pain I experience in my deltoid when doing those painful movements. I am convinced this trigger point was formed from sleeping on my side for years on the World’s Most Expensive Air Mattress (i.e., a crappy mattress). I have been massaging this area religiously several times a day in an attempt to release that trigger point and am finally feeling relief. I also got a new mattress!

The difficult thing about treating trigger points is that their symptoms often replicate other conditions. A doctor may diagnose your condition as arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, impingement syndrome- the list goes on- when actually you may just have a trigger point referring pain to that area. In fact, doctors who specialize in myofacial pain suggest that trigger points are the main cause of pain in our bodies 75% of the time!

Trigger points can exist throughout the body. A trigger point in your quad may be responsible for that knee pain you can’t get rid of. A trigger point behind your ear may be causing those excruciating headaches. Over time, trigger points can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain- something no CrossFitter has time for!

You do not have to be a hardcore CrossFitter to suffer from trigger points. Trigger points can be formed by poor posture at the computer, repetitive motion on the job or during recreational sport, sleeping in certain positions, and even carrying a heavy suitcase.

This book may be a game changer for you!

If you have unexplained pain that you can’t seem to get rid of, I highly recommend you look into trigger point therapy. There are doctors and chiropractors that specialize in this area. If you live in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend Jered Hull of Dynamic Spine and Sports Therapy (http://dynamicsportstherapy.com). In less than five minutes, he was able to give me full range of motion in my neck by releasing a trigger point in my neck muscle. In the Auburn area, I recommend John and Rebekah Hall at Auburn Corrective Massage Therapy (http://auburncorrectivemassagetherapy.com). They are both well-versed in trigger points and have helped me to find relief.

To find out more about this topic, check out “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook” by Clair Davies. It covers this topic in-depth and explains how you can self-treat your trigger points. It is life changing stuff, I will assure you!