The effect of triggerpoint compression for acute low back pain

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The effect of triggerpoint compression for acute low back pain

From a clinical perspective, myofascial trigger points certainly describe a phenomenon — aching spots, that seems to at least be partially helped by massage. The issue is that there is still uncertainty on the subject of triggerpoints.

To help provide some insight and perspective for therapists, I am working on compiling studies that look at the practical application of triggerpoint compression. Here is a study out of Japan that looks at the effects of compression at myofascial trigger points in patients with acute low back pain.

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How microvesicles could revolutionise arthritis treatment

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How microvesicles could revolutionise arthritis treatment

"A key feature of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis – and the main cause of disability – is cartilage erosion. There are no therapies to treat this aspect of the disease but our research may just hold the key to a radically new way to prevent it. It involves something called “microvesicles”."

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Defining the fascial system

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Defining the fascial system

For years fascia has been used as an ambiguous  term by many, myself included. There were many inconsistent definitions used in the literature which lead to confusion for researchers and therapists. A new article posted by the fascial research society hopes to provide some guidence to researchers and therapists the authors "recommend that the terms a fascia and the fascial system are widely adopted and used in oral and written communications about fascia"

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Manual therapy for post-concussion headaches

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Manual therapy for post-concussion headaches

One of the most persistent symptom after a mild traumatic brain injury is post-traumatic headaches. It is proposed that a portion of post traumatic headaches are cervicogenic in nature, due in part to the concomitant whiplash injury suffered at the same time of the concussive force. Any “Acceleration/deceleration of the head–neck complex of sufficient magnitude to cause mTBI is also likely to cause concurrent injury to the joints and soft tissues of the cervical spine. These types of injuries have been shown to cause headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, nausea and many other signs and symptoms considered synonymous with concussion.” (Marshall et al. 2015)

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How subtle changes in our bodies affect conscious awareness and decision confidence

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How subtle changes in our bodies affect conscious awareness and decision confidence

"How do we become aware of our own thoughts and feelings? And what enables us to know when we’ve made a good or bad decision? Every day we are confronted with ambiguous situations. If we want to learn from our mistakes, it is important that we sometimes reflect on our decisions. Did I make the right choice when I leveraged my house mortgage against the market? Was that stop light green or red? Did I really hear a footstep in the attic, or was it just the wind?"

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