Classical massage therapy

The word massage is derived from the Greek word “massein” and means “to knead”. The classical massage was already known in ancient times and was mainly used to improve the performance of athletes. Nowadays, massage is a recognized remedy for treating painful muscle tension and its consequences such as headaches and stress-related fatigue syndromes.

A variety of manual techniques (strokes, kneading, vibration techniques, tapping) are used, which have different effects on the skin, connective tissue, muscles and lymph through variously strong touch stimuli. The effects are stimulation of the blood circulation, muscular and psychological relaxation, pain relief and improvement of the venous blood and lymph drainage. A classical massage therapy can be sensibly supplemented by an active exercise treatment. A special form of massage is the

Trigger point treatment

Trigger points (= ” painful matting of muscle fibers”), are circumscribed muscular hardenings that can cause symptoms such as local slight to excruciating pain, radiating pain, stiffness, weakness and restricted movement. Accompanying symptoms such as sweating, dizziness, ringing in the ears, etc. are also frequently developed.

Trigger points are activated by acute or chronic (physical or mental) overloading of the muscles, joint dysfunction, injuries or hypothermia. Active trigger points can cause constant pain or stiffness, latent trigger points only react to pressure or strain, and the transitions can be fluid. The examiner finds trigger points as easily palpable local hardening in the muscles, which react strongly with pressure pain.

The finger pressure often causes the patient to make an involuntary evasive movement. The affected muscle also reacts to active or passive extension with pain, e.g. during a stretching exercise. For relief, the application of moist heat or low-dose ultrasound is recommended as a preparatory measure.

Various methods can be used to treat the trigger points: Effects of the different treatment techniques are pain relief and more economical movement behaviour by stimulating the blood circulation and relaxing the trigger points. Self-treatments of the patient can be:

The therapist exerts sustained pressure on the point while pre-stretching the muscle until it is inactivated. He can use his thumb or an appropriate massage stick for this. This triggers a so-called “wellbeing” in the patient, which changes into a relaxing feeling of release.
Deep friction massage is a massage across the course of the muscle fibers
Circular massage grips around the trigger point
Sufficient massage grips with increasing pressure in longitudinal direction of the muscle fibers
In PIR = postisometric relaxation, the patient actively tenses the affected muscle from a stretched position and holds the tension for about 10 seconds. In the relaxation phase, the therapist carefully guides the muscle further into the stretching position.
Shock wave treatment
Acupuncture of the trigger points
Infiltration of certain drugs
Avoid the muscular stress that causes pain
Active mobilization exercises, slowly guided stretches
Nordic Walking or alternative sports
Moist heat (e.g. small grain bags, hot rolls – see below – or pads with moist warm cloths)
Trigger point massage with tennis balls
Decrease (reduction) of caffeine, nicotine and alcohol