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TheEnforcer
Starting Member
USA
1 Posts |
 Posted - April 06 2007 : 6:32:58 PM
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I have what could be described as a large trigger point embedded deep in the belly of my trapezius. However, me and my current chiropractic intern have pretty much established that it is substantial scar tissue that is keeping the vicious circle alive. Only thing is that getting good advice from the powers that be and getting appropriate treatment from the few most proficient and trained interns in that specialty is like climbing through a mountain of red tape, without paying for 10 sessions at a high dollar specialist. I'm really not even sure that they have a way of treating something that deep, without improvising. In conclusion, I have taken what I have learned from more specialized interns and resorted to my own devices, since simple myofascial treatment just would never do. I am here to see if the massage people can give me good advice.
What was once a lump of scarring about the size of a small cocoon, maybe 1/2"X1/2"X1" is now reduced to a core of about 1/2" diameter. Initially, I broke it down using my own brand of hard-core ART (Active Release Technique), in which I had someone wedge the handle of a hammer deep into the lump before I stretched the muscle real hard. A few sessions of this helped reduce the size to where it is now. I kind of gave up on this treatment after the last successful use of it, when the hammer slipped and strained both of my rhomboid muscles. It was effective, yet a bit too potentially dangerous for my tastes.
I had tried this good massage therapist that I know, but this lump just seemed to be too deep and too tough for him to have any effect on it. Maybe he just needed to use more elbow and less squeezing. Soon after my friends started refusing to treat me, I discovered this massage tool called a TheraCane. I started using the TheraCane and it would mostly flatten out the lump but then it would grow back after varying amounts of time, depending on my diet, activities, etc. I kept doing the same thing over and over twice a day for about 5 days without noticeable improvement when I decided to make a change. I decided I would incorporate the ART with the massage.
First time, I did about 40 minutes of cardio to really get the blood flowing and soften things up. Then, I applied the TheraCane doing the cross fiber massage to break up the knot. Then I did high rep, light weight shoulder exercises with 5 lb. dumbells supersetted with appropriate shoulder stretches in order to try and realign the muscle fibers in the right direction. One of the hallmarks of ART is keeping all of the fiber manipulation in the same direction of the muscle so that it heals right. I had to use the TheraCane a couple of more times during the workout to make the lump die back down. So anyway, that first time that I did that was yesterday and it seems to have made an improvement and could possibly work towards completion. Last night, I was able to sleep without taking as much medicine as I usually do. I woke up with the noticeable lump, but the pain doesn't seem to be as intrusive.
Does all of this seem to make sense? According to a few sources that I have read, such as the TheraCane manual, normal trigger points should die down within a few days of treatment. There is some history behind this complicated shoulder injury, but the other aspects of it are pretty much resolved. This is the last issue that popped up needing attention.
Do you think that in this type of case, is there any thing wrong with using this TheraCane on a daily basis to tamp out this knot? In the TheraCane manual, it says that it is alright, but that is based on the idea that it will completely go away after a few days. After the first few days of using it, I tried to stop using it to let things heal. However, as I tried to stop using it, I was driving on the highway in the rain while it was hurting and I was rubbing it with my fingers to massage it a bit, and I had this nervous misfire of a sort, in which I started getting dizzy and vertigo. I then pulled over and used the TheraCane and it cleared all of that up along with the pain, temporarily.
I have a feeling that this latest method that I have developed will possibly work, but I just want to get some feedback. Both ice and heat seem to make it more pronounced in the muscle, though sometimes the ice will relieve the pain if the surrounding muscle is inflamed and sometimes, such as in the morning when the muscles are cold, 5-10 minutes of moist heat will loosen it up and help with the restrictions. |
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stslovik
Starting Member
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - April 07 2007 : 1:16:25 PM
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You are identifying two distinct pathologies which maybe causing the pain.
Trigger points are a muscle phenomena which originate from a cellular energy deficit sometimes thought to be caused be repeated overuse, but perhaps could be argued that come from keeping a muscle in a shortened length for a prolonged period.
Scar tissue is at a connective tissue level which typically ends up with a funky vascular and neural intervation post-development. This is especially true when the scar went hypertrophic which sounds like what you described by it's original "small cocoon" size.
By your description, I'm going with scar pain rather than trigger point pain as to whats going on. So what to do?
Continued reduction in scar is needed. Mecahanical breakup as you've tried with the Theracane has taken you to a point, but I'd explore the use of ultrasound for the penetration.
At a micro level, you need increased stimulation of macrophage activity to scavange the remains of the scar, especially if some of it's been broken up mechanically.
"Cold" or Low level laser stimulates macrophage activity by photobiostimulation. With the right laser, penetration can be as deep as 5 cm. I think this is worth a try.
That's my 2 cents, but I'm no expert.
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Sean
"Don't just get a massage, Get a Body For Living!"
http://www.a-body-for-living.com/ |
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Scarring in deep tissue
