What a Trigger Point Actually Is
A trigger point is a small, hyperirritable knot inside a band of muscle. When you press it, you usually feel two things at once: pain in the spot, and pain that radiates somewhere else. That radiating pattern is what makes trigger points sneaky. The knot in your upper trap might be the actual source of the headache you've been chasing for two months. The tight band in your glute might be why your low back feels off.
Trigger points form because of overuse, postural strain, repetitive movement, or stress holding patterns. They cluster in predictable places: upper traps, levator scapulae, rhomboids, glute medius, quadratus lumborum, calves, and forearms. Once you know where to look, the pattern usually gets clear quickly.
Who Trigger Point Therapy Helps
Anyone with chronic tension headaches that have a postural component. Anyone who keeps stretching the same spot and getting no relief. Anyone with referred pain patterns where the spot that hurts isn't the spot that's actually the problem. Office workers, factory workers at GM Lansing or in the Lansing manufacturing belt, dental hygienists, hairstylists, anyone whose job demands repetitive arm and shoulder work.
It's also a good fit alongside deep tissue or sports massage. Many sessions blend the two. We work the broader muscle group, then drop into focused trigger point pressure on the most active knots.
What a Session Feels Like
Intense, but in a specific way. The therapist applies sustained pressure, usually with a thumb, knuckle, or elbow, and holds it for 30 to 90 seconds. Rated on a 1-to-10 scale, you want to be at a 6 or 7. Hurts but tolerable. The pain often radiates while pressure is held, then both the local pain and the referred pain back off as the muscle releases.
Communication is critical. Tell us your number. Tell us where you're feeling the referral. We use that information to confirm we're on the right point and to adjust pressure in real time. The breath matters. Slow, deep breathing keeps the muscle from clenching.
Aftercare
Some next-day soreness is normal in the worked areas. Hydrate, walk, and apply heat if it helps. Many clients notice that the radiating pain pattern lessens or disappears within 24 to 48 hours after a session. Long-term improvement usually takes a few sessions plus some attention to the underlying cause: posture, ergonomics, or a movement pattern that keeps re-creating the trigger point.
Contraindications
Avoid trigger point work over fresh injuries, blood thinners without clearance, severe varicose veins in the area, and active infections. Pregnancy may modify which points we work. We screen all of this at intake.
Pricing
60-minute trigger point focused session is $110. 90-minute is $155 and is what we typically recommend for clients with multi-area referral patterns. Travel within our service area is included. See pricing for packages.
Tracking the Pain to Its Actual Source
If you've stretched, foam rolled, and iced the same spot a hundred times, the problem might be somewhere else. Book a trigger point session and let's find it.
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