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Curing Chronic Pain
An Advanced Form of Massage
By Rachel Oesch
WDEF-TV News 12
May 1, 2003

Some physicians are prescribing trigger point therapy for chronic pain patients.

It's an established technique that few people know about.

Here's Rachel Oesch to show you how it works in today's medical news.

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"Turn your head as far as you can to the left."

Twenty-three-year-old Rachel Nelson has chronic daily migraines.

Rachel Nelson, Chronic Pain Patient. "The pain is primarily across my forehead but when it gets bad it kind of radiates down my face and across my head."
"Open your jaw once."

Today she's finding some relief through myofascial therapy.

Issac Bower, Myofascial Therapist. "Myo means muscle, fascia is connective tissue you have all over your body."
Isaac Bower is a certified myofascial trigger point therapist. He says a trigger point is basically a knot in a muscle or the surrounding tissue.

Issac Bower, Myofascial Therapist. "It's a tight tender spot that gives rise to referred pain, which is pain sometimes felt quite a distance from the trigger point."
For example, here, the x's represent trigger points in a neck muscle. The pain, however, may show up around the eye area. To find trigger points, therapists must first evaluate the whole body.

Issac Bower, Myofascial Therapist. "Pull your elbow back."
Issac Bower, Myofascial Therapist.
"Movement tests, palpation, looking at the pain pattern, carefully gathering a history."

Then it's hands-on to find, then maintain a stretch in the tissue to release the tightness.

Issac Bower, Myofascial Therapist. "Sort of like twanging a tightened guitar string."
Patients describe the feeling as a "good hurt".

Rachel Nelson, Chronic Pain Patient. "My muscles felt better, which is something I really didn't notice because when you have such chronic pain all the time you kind of ignore your body. I'm very excited about this 'cause it's one of the few things that showed any promise in quite a few years."

Sessions run 60-to-90 dollars and last about an hour. Workman's comp and auto insurance do cover the therapy, however most others do not. \