Referred pain resolved
Releasing the band frequently switches off pain in a region that was never the problem.
Physiotherapy
Trigger Point Therapy
The knot you can feel, and the ache somewhere else that it causes.
- 30 to 40 minutes
- Session length
- 4 to 6 sessions
- Typical course
- Mild soreness for a day
- After effects
Overview
A trigger point is a hyperirritable, palpable band within a muscle. Pressing it reproduces not only local tenderness but a familiar referred ache elsewhere — which is why a trigger point in the shoulder can produce a headache, and one in the hip can send pain down the thigh and be mistaken for sciatica.
Treatment applies sustained ischaemic pressure to the band until it releases, then restores the muscle's length and, critically, addresses what kept overloading it. Trigger points are a consequence. Treating them without changing the cause means they come back.
Consider this if
- A tender knot you can feel, that reproduces a familiar ache when pressed
- Pain that refers in a consistent pattern away from the tender spot
- Headaches that trace back to the neck and shoulders
- Muscles that feel permanently tight regardless of stretching
What it does
Trigger Point Therapy
Length restored
A muscle holding an active trigger point cannot reach full length. Release returns range.
Headache reduction
Tension-type headaches often trace to trigger points in the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid and suboccipitals.
Cause addressed
The posture, load or weakness that generated the point, so it does not simply re-form.
Inside a session
Find
Palpation to locate the taut band and confirm it reproduces your familiar referred pattern.
Release
Sustained pressure held until the band softens — firm, but within what you accept.
Lengthen
Stretch and active movement immediately afterwards, while the muscle is available.
Prevent
Identifying and changing the sustained load or weakness that produced it.
Common questions
Why does pressing there cause pain somewhere else?
Referred pain is a known property of trigger points, and the referral patterns are consistent and well mapped. Reproducing your familiar pain when the point is pressed is exactly how we confirm we have found the right one.
How much does it hurt?
There is a firm, recognisable ache during the hold. It should stay within what you are comfortable accepting, and you set that boundary — say so and the pressure comes off.
Will the knot come back?
If the cause is not addressed, yes. That is why the session does not end with the release — the load or weakness that produced it has to change too.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. What is right for you is decided at assessment. If your symptoms are severe, worsening quickly, or follow an injury, seek medical care first.
Also in this discipline
Not sure this is the right one?
That is what the first consultation is for. Ninety minutes of assessment before anything is recommended — including recommending nothing.