Trigger Point Release

What Is Trigger Point?

Trigger points are palpable knots in muscle tissue. The presence of trigger points in a muscle can cause pain and shortening of the muscle (called hypertonicity). Hypertonicity is excessive muscle tone (firmness) compared to how a normal, resting muscle feels to the touch.

Trigger point release involves the stimulation of Golgi Tendon Organs (GTO’s). GTO’s are a type of sensory receptor found in muscles. There are multiple GTO’s in each muscle of the body, located near the muscle-tendon junction, and their function is to inhibit muscle contraction when the muscle fibers are stretched past a certain point. In essence, GTO’s decrease muscle tension and promote muscle relaxation. In contrast, alpha motor neurons stimulate the muscle to increase tension by contracting. When a muscle gets too tense, GTO’s fire, turning off the alpha motor neurons and decreasing tension in the muscle. This releases trigger points and encourages relaxation.

這個系統的一個很好的類比是想像一塊肌肉有兩個開關，一個開關打開肌肉（阿爾法運動神經元），另一個開關關閉肌肉（GTO）。想像一個人每天彎腰坐在他或她的電腦前好幾個小時。與這種姿勢相關的肌肉的阿爾法運動神經元不斷開啟，不正確的姿勢成為神經系統的習慣。隨著時間的推移，這些肌肉的持續激活會導致無數的損傷，包括軟組織疼痛、肌肉拉傷、疤痕組織形成、肌肉張力增加、觸發點、筋膜受限和運動範圍受限。

Trigger Point Release and ASTR

Advanced Soft Tissue Release（縮寫為 ASTR）是一項新的手動治療專業，正在徹底改變患者的體驗方式 長期 pain relief. The ASTR specialty includes techniques for neuromuscular re-education as it stimulates the Golgi Tendon Organs of muscles to decrease muscle hypertonicity and release trigger points. ASTR treats pain in a gentle, effective, and natural way, and takes a holistic approach to address the root causes of pain, not just the symptoms. Many patients experience relief from pain after their first treatment! 了解 ASTR 如何幫助您 或者 觀看推薦視頻 來自通過 ASTR 治療緩解疼痛的患者。