Table Of ContentA LITTLE BOOK OF SELF CARE
TRIGGER POINTS
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USE THE POWER OF TOUCH
TO LIVE LIFE PAIN-FREE
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A LITTLE BOOK OF SELF CARE
TRIGGER POINTS
USE THE POWER OF TOUCH
TO LIVE LIFE PAIN-FREE
AMANDA OSWALD
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CONTENTS
Foreword 06
Senior Editors Lesley Malkin, Rona Skene
US Editor Jennette ElNaggar GETTING STARTED
Senior Designers Mandy Earey,
What are trigger points? 10
Collette Sadler
Designers Sadie Thomas, Philippa Nash How trigger points occur 12
Editorial Assistant Kiron Gill Preparing to treat trigger points 14
Illustrator Fortuna Todisco
Self-care practice 16
Producer, Pre-production Heather Blagden
Senior Producer Luca Bazzoli How to work trigger points 18
Jacket Designer Amy Cox Trigger-point balls and tools 20
Jacket Co-ordinator Lucy Philpott
Creative Technical Support
TRIGGER-POINT TREATMENTS
Sonia Charbonnier
Managing Editor Dawn Henderson Head and neck 24
Managing Art Editor Marianne Markham
Back of neck 28
Art Director Maxine Pedliham
Publishing Director Mary-Clare Jerram Side of neck 1 30
Back of shoulder 1 32
First American Edition, 2019
Published in the United States by DK Publishing Jaw, ear, and face 34
1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018 Jaw 38
Copyright © Dorling Kindersley Limited Inside mouth 1 40
DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC
Inside mouth 2 42
19 20 21 22 23 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001–314495–Sept/2019 Temples 44
Face 46
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under the copyright Chest 48
reserved above, no part of this publication may be
Chest 1 50
reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any Side of chest 52
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise), without the prior written Shoulders 54
permission of the copyright owner. Published in Back of shoulder 2 58
Great Britain by Dorling Kindserly Limited
Back of shoulder 3 60
DISCLAIMER see page 144 Back of shoulder 4 62
A catalog record for this book is available from Side of armpit 1 64
the Library of Congress.
Top of shoulder 66
ISBN 978-1-4654-8504-5
Printed and bound in China
A WORLD OF IDEAS:
SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW
www.dk.com
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Arms and hands 68 Legs and knees 116
Side of neck 2 72 Back of thigh 120
Side of armpit 2 74 Inner thigh 122
Chest 2 76 Front of thigh 124
Front of upper arm 78 Side of hip 2 126
Back of upper arm 80 Calf 128
Back of forearm 82 Ankles and feet 130
Front of forearm 84 Shin 132
Palm of hand 86 Side of calf 134
Upper and midback 88 Sole of foot 136
Between the shoulder blades 92
Back 94 Resources 138
Abdomen 96 Index 140
Between the ribs 100 Acknowledgments 144
Diaphragm 102
Abdomen 104
Lower back and hips 106
Side of back 108
Buttocks 110
Side of hip 1 112
Front of pelvis 114
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6
FOREWORD
For many people, modern medicine is literally a lifesaver. However,
many of us are increasingly looking for ways to live healthier lives
and to self-treat our health conditions. This book is a practical,
hands-on guide for anyone interested in how treating your trigger
points can bring relief after years of chronic pain or misdiagnosis.
If you’ve ever felt a “knot” in your shoulder and dug in with your
fingers to find both tension and relief, then the chances are you’ve
found a trigger point—a knot of connective tissue that is tender to
the touch and that causes pain or other symptoms. The effects of a
trigger point may be felt either where the trigger point is located
or elsewhere in the body—this is called “referred” pain. It is the
possibility of these, sometimes surprising, referred symptoms that
mean trigger points can be overlooked medically and sometimes
misdiagnosed as a better-known medical condition.
In my clinical work, I see many people experiencing a wide range
of chronic pain conditions. Many have found their way to me after
years of suffering, rounds of medical treatment, and eventually
being told they will just have to live with it. I work with these clients
to identify their trigger points as the first step to successfully
relieving their pain and treating their condition.
My journey into trigger points started with my own chronic pain
and a quest to heal myself. I spent many years working in stressful
jobs, alternating long hours with vigorous sports including rugby
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and long-distance running. Like many people, I dismissed the
warning aches and pains that came and went from time to time.
Eventually, I developed a prolapsed disc. The pain forced me to
stop working and abandon the leisure activities I loved, so I
accepted an offer of surgery. Afterward, although I could move
again, the pain remained and could not be explained medically. In
my efforts to heal myself, I retrained and qualified first as a
massage therapist then as a sports-massage therapist. I went on to
more advanced bodywork techniques, and during my studies, I
heard about myofascial release and trigger points. Suddenly,
everything made sense. I learned how trigger points can be found
in all areas of the body and cause a wide range of seemingly
unrelated symptoms, and ever since I have made it my mission to
pass on techniques for self-treating myofascial trigger points.
This book provides information on many common trigger points
and the patterns of pain and other symptoms associated with
them. We steer clear of complex medical jargon in favor of clear
and simple step-by-step guides to self-treat trigger points
effectively. Put simply, this is the book I wish I’d had when I
started my journey to recovery from chronic pain. I hope you
find it a useful guide to living pain-free.
Amanda Oswald
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