More Trigger Point Tools

Having the right tool can make all the difference. For example, it would not be very effective to use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail, and it would not make much sense to use a hammer on a screw. Sometimes, we can substitute another tool and it will be somewhat effective, like using a knife as a screwdriver, but it will be faster and more efficient to use the right tool. Sometimes, we have tools that are good enough, but a more specialized tool would make it so much easier.

I have introduced you to what I would consider the mainstays of a trigger point tool kit:  the lacrosse ball and the theracane (or backnobber). Today, I will introduce you to a few other tools that can be useful, especially for specific jobs.

Interestingly enough, bouncy balls are great tools for getting to some of the harder to reach muscles. They come in different sizes so you can usually find something that will fit your particular purpose. They are not as durable as lacrosse balls, but they are relatively inexpensive and they will last for quite a while.

Two sizes of bouncy balls and lacrosse ball.  

I have a favorite size that I have been using to massage the muscles in my arm while I am recovering from my elbow injury. There are many narrow muscles in several layers that I am working and this ball is perfect for this. The ball a size up is too big and the ball a size down is too small.  

Using bouncy ball on the outer elbow area.  

Using bouncy ball on inside area of elbow and down the arm.  

 Using the opposite hand, I press and roll the ball into my muscle. I use the heel of my palm to get particularly deep, but I also use the entire palm of my hand, and my four fingers held straight and close together to form one tool. Using this method, I roll the ball around my arm, and as I find trigger points, I work them for a few strokes before continuing on.

Getting in position to use the opposite hand on outer elbow.  The ball is placed between the palm and the opposite elbow. 

I have used a bigger size (the purple and orange ball in the photo above) for my triceps, and it is perfect for that. When I first got off the pain pills and I was starting to venture out into the world again, I went grocery shopping. I took that ball with me, and whenever my elbow started to really ache, I worked my triceps with the ball, and it relieved my pain.  

As part of my physical therapy, I have to wear a splint on my arm for 6 to 8 hours a day to help me stretch my muscles back to where they were before the accident. Often, my arm starts to ache when I wear this, but I can work some trigger points through the back side of it, which is open. I can also take the splint off temporarily, work some trigger points on the inside and put it back on. When I have worn it for several hours, my arm is usually pretty tender all over, and it hurts to move it. I use the ball to work all of the areas that are tender and stiff.  

The difference between the two arms.  I have gained quite a bit of range of motion, but I have some way to go still. My arm usually extends farther after I have had my arm in the hot whirlpool bath for 15 minutes at the physical therapist's office.   

My arm in the splint.  

Sometimes, I can just set the ball on the table, or another hard surface like a book, and roll the exposed part of my arm on the ball.  

Another tool that I have used recently is called the Palm Massager (made by a company called Pressure Positive, available online).  

Palm massager.

This handy tool is held in the palm of the hand. The fingers fit comfortably into grooves molded into the tops of the three "arms" of the tool. Each "arm" has a rounded end. Two of these ends are relatively small, while the remaining end is larger.  

The finger fits in the groove on top of the arm.

This design makes it easy to use quite a bit of pressure without totally trashing your fingers. I have used it for trigger points in the back of the neck, and, lately, I have used it to work my inner elbow. It is good for going deep.  

Using on the back of the neck.  It is even better if you can lean back into it, so that the muscles that you are working are relaxed.  

Late one night, I was using the palm massager on my inner elbow, and I was able to find some places that hurt that I had not been able to reach before. I worked them, and I could see that it was increasing my mobility. I was pretty excited. The next morning, I was dancing and singing: I've been dreaming of an arm that moves... to the tune of, "I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss," from the movie, Enchanted. It has become sort of a theme song for me.  

Another tool is the Knobble (also by Pressure Positive, available online).

The Knobble

This tool looks a lot like a round door knob. It has a rubber-like surface on its side, which helps in gripping the tool. I often like to hold the tool sideways and use the rubberized side for the trigger point therapy.

The Knobble, side view.

The Knobble is great for places that you want to get into deep with minimal effort. I have used it on my arms, my quads (but I decided later that I like the lacrosse ball against the wall better for the quads) and also on my pecs (using the side).

In position to use the Knobble on my arm.  My fingers are held up to show how the Knobble is placed.  They are wrapped around the Knobble when working the trigger points.  

Holding the Knobble sideways to work the pecs.  

I have even used it on the muscles of my head, staying on the gentler, rubber side.

Using the side of the Knobble on my temporalis muscle. 

Experimenting with different tools, you will probably find some that you prefer over others for particular tasks. The more comfortable you are using a tool, the more likely you will be to use it. You will also probably be more effective, giving the right amount of pressure, not too much, not too little.

How "cruel" are your shoes?

I read a story written by comedian Steve Martin some years ago entitled, "Cruel Shoes." In this story, a woman goes to a shoe store to purchase shoes, and is not satisfied with any that are brought out to her by the salesperson until she finds a pair that are so uncomfortable that they contort her feet and make them bleed. When she tries these on, she is finally pleased, and decides to get them.

When I was younger, there were times when I walked all over BYU campus in heels, sometimes spiked, not all of the time, but at least once a week for a school year when we had church services in a building on the opposite side of campus from where we lived. I knew it wasn't good for my feet; however, I have short legs, and I thought wearing high heels made my legs look longer. Besides, I did not want to make myself look weird. So, I kept wearing them and put my feet up to rest when I got home.

In my late thirties to early forties, I noticed that whenever I wore high heels (as opposed to lower heels), my knees started to hurt a lot within 15 minutes. It was so bad that I could not stand, but had to sit down. They kept hurting for a while after I took the heels off. I stuck to low-heeled pumps for several years, until a few years ago, I could not even wear those. The bottom of my foot had started to hurt in addition to the knee pain. It felt like I was walking on the bones, with no cushioning at all. I had to stop wearing dress shoes completely. Also, there was only one style of athletic shoe that did not make my knees hurt, and the last time I went to get another pair, they were discontinued.

Thankfully, it was about that time that I found out about trigger point therapy. I worked the trigger points in my legs to help get rid of the pain. The pain in the knees came from my thighs, and the pain in the foot came from my calves. But the pain was quick to return when I walked for any length of time.

I learned that I have something called Morton's foot (not to be confused with Morton's neuroma), that is, I have a longer second metatarsal (bone behind the second toe) than the first metatarsal. This predisposes me to problems with my feet and indirectly causes pain in the rest of my body. This difference in metatarsal length made it so I was walking on two points of my foot, instead of three--kind of like walking around on an ice skate, but without the high top boot. The muscles farther up my body were working very hard just to keep me standing.

Fortunately, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook had a fairly simple and inexpensive way to compensate for my foot structure (See p. 243). I cut out an oval or circle of moleskin about an inch-and-a-half in diameter for each foot. I stuck it (it is a peel-and-stick product) on the bottom side of a foam insert that had been cut to fit my shoe, in the area under the first metatarsal.

Foam insert, cut to size. 

Example of piece of moleskin attached to bottom of foam insert. 

I was amazed at the difference this made. I could actually stand tiptoe, something I had not been able to do for a long time. It eliminated my knee and foot pain (as long as I stick with low shoes). Putting the pad under the first metatarsal gives it a little more "length" so that it can hit the ground before the second metatarsal.  The first and fifth metatarsals, and the heel, act as a tripod to bear the weight of the body.

So, if you have ongoing foot pain, knee pain, or back pain, it might be a good idea to take a look at the bones that protrude when you bend your toes. (There is more information on p. 243-245).

To fit yourself with one of these "custom orthotics," flex your big toe upward and feel for the bony part in the center of the fleshy pad below the big toe.

Feel the bone in the fleshy pad below the big toe.  

Trim the circle or oval of moleskin to fit comfortably under that bone, without going under the bone that is further into the foot (the second metatarsal). Check where to place the pad* first (before you peel off the backing), then peel the backing off and stick it to the bottom of the foam insert. Then place the insert in your shoe. Mine usually last a month or two before the insert starts to wear out.

Also, consider the type of shoe that you wear. Clair Davies writes, "Wearing high heels keeps the soleus [this is a large flat muscle that wraps around the back of your calf] muscles shortened, which is a sure way to create and perpetuate trigger points. The ankle instability typically caused by high heels also strains the soleus muscles with each step." (p. 239).  Trigger points in the soleus can cause "deep pain in the sacroiliac area and maintain spasms in the muscles of the low back" (p. 238). It also sends pain to the back of the calf, heel of the foot, and inside ankle.

So, how cruel are your shoes?

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*I have noticed that some people have a very large difference in length of the first and second metatarsal.  They may need to have a thicker pad to compensate.  Experiment a little bit to see what helps you.