Board Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist
Professional and Board Member of the National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists
My main training was at the Pittsburgh School of Pain Management, the only 650-hour program in the USA that taught the entire Drs' Travell and Simons "Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction The Trigger Point Manual" 2 volume medical text in a one-year diploma program. This training prepared the student well to sit for the board exam and to go out into the world to help others eliminate their trigger points and referred pain! I was introduced to myofascial trigger point therapy because of my own long-term pain issues which started when I was 11 or 12. Finally diagnosed with "Fibromyalgia" in the late 80s, I was told, yet again, that nothing could be done. OTC pain meds were not helpful, nor was PT or anything else I tried. Frequent migraines and headaches plagued my days, and upper back and shoulder pain were always restricting me. I often wondered that if it felt this bad at 30, what was it going to be like at 50 or 60?Thankfully, a myofascial trigger point therapist found ME!
Almost all of my pain issues, migraines, and headaches were due to trigger points that I had accumulated from being a normal human being and a rough-and-tumble country "tomboy" with 3 brothers, a few good falls, and sudden stops, etc.
Never brush off a child's pain that lasts longer than expected or the onset of headaches in a child!
Everyone has trigger points, even children! Think "growing pains" or pain with no apparent cause. They are the most common cause of pain! And the most commonly ignored!
So I am now here to offer you the treatment that helped me! I offer myofascial trigger point therapy, medical massage, massage therapy, trigger point massage, "myofascial release" and neuromuscular therapy (NMT) to help you eliminate pain, reduce pain, reduce pain medications, regain movement, reduce or eliminate stiffness, treat auto injuries, treat "slip and fall", sports and work injuries and in general help, you get back to a pain-free life!
What is trigger point therapy?
Trigger point therapy is a non-invasive, drug-free, no needles, safe, effective, hands-on treatment that addresses the CAUSE of the pain! The treatment addresses the trigger point itself and releases it with gradual pressure that can be easily regulated to your tolerance. The muscle is stretched and moved through its range of motion with the goal being pain-free movement with a full normal range of motion.
In addition, the cause of the trigger points is addressed. Sometimes they are due to a fall, accident, or other injuries. But very often a person uses repetitive movements in work or play, or there can be poor posture, poor ergonomics, excessive stress, and nutritional concerns. The trigger points will keep coming back if the perpetuating factors are not addressed.
Most people have even found their own knots and tender spots, some have even discovered that pressing on them causes pain in another place of the body. The lucky ones have figured out for themselves or found a trigger point therapist that knew that pressing on the right spot could even make the pain go away!
Muscles can hurt a lot, now you understand how they can make you hurt in other places!
Please allow me the honor of helping you by treating those trigger points or/and helping you to learn self-treatment so that you can STAY pain-free.
Feel free to use the wonderful symptom checker on my colleague's website
http://www.triggerpoints.net/all-symptoms
If you are not in Southwest PA or the tri-state area, please check the directory at my professional organization's website to find a therapist near you. There is a directory listed under the heading “find a therapist” or go here: https://www.myofascialtherapy.org/