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Sports Massage/Trigger Point Therapy

Divegirl

Angel Diva
Has anyone tried either or both of these?
I am looking for a solution/relief from what is becoming chronic tendonitis in a knee and ankle. Anti-inflammatories are out due to another medical condition. My knee was scoped several yrs ago but haven't had much relief.

I have a slight hip deformity from toxic synivitis as a child and while the hip does not bother me, the knee has taken the brunt of abuse over the years and now the ankle is getting in on the fun. I also have numerous muscle knots throughout my legs, tight muscles (calves esp) and joints(ankles esp.) and a knee cap that does not track properly.

I do a set of daily stretches 2x/day my PT gave me. I am pretty active year round and try to vary my activities so I use different muscles/joints. I do wear a compression sleeve w/ lateral support for most of my activities and use KT tape if I don't want the bulk of the compression sleeve.
I welcome thoughts and opinions.
Thank you.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
I get a deep tissue massage on average about once a month. Not for any specific issue, really, although with my recent ankle injury I’ve noticed that there are a couple places in my foot that it helps. It’s more for general all-over good feeling. I'm generally pretty tight, so this is part of my program to get/remain as flexible as I can. There have been a few times that I’ve definitely noticed a specific improvement in yoga after he’s released something.

Sometimes while I’m in there I wonder why I’m paying for the pain, because it’s not always pleasant while it’s happening, but it’s always better afterwards.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
No hurt in trying the massage. I have a love/hate relationship with my RMT. He can hurt me so easily, but I feel so much better a day later. I call him Brad the bruiser as I do get some bruises, but I do bruise easy.

Also find out if the RMT or someone in the practice can do an acupuncture and/or electro stimulation. Those electrodes really help before my arthritis diagnosis. I got it from my Chiropractor.
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
I've also been wondering about dry needling or acupuncture when a certain spot in my back acts up. Haven’t tried it yet, though.
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Caveat that I'm a massage therapist who utilizes sports and orthopedic/deep tissue techniques in my practice. If you work with a good therapist who has a strong knowledge of anatomy then you could have good results. You also might find that it does not benefit you, or that the type of techniques they use don't help your condition. Massage is a very under-researched therapy, and so its generally hard to say what generally works and what doesn't aside from empirical knowledge. In my practice I've found that my clients with chronic pain and overuse issues are generally benefited by regular massage to combat the tension in various muscles that come from postural and movement patterns resulting from said chronic pain. I would be the last person to say massage will 'heal' someone, however, it causes great relief to many people, which I believe helps the body heal itself. (My belief is that massage therapy doesn't fix anything, but that the body fixes itself and massage therapy aids the body in its process and more importantly makes the person feel good during the healing process).

Not all therapists are created equal, and people who advertise themselves as 'sports massage therapists' could range from real sports massage therapists (focusing on recovery and preparation for athletes that are pushing their bodies) to people who just use a deep tissue technique, generally it implies that the therapist will use some sort of active stretching or movement in their practice and will have more of an anatomical/physiological focus. Trigger point therapy is a tool that is used in a massage, but I'd also be leary of someone who only does tpt. Its very intense, and very therapeutic, but also requires a therapist who is pretty intuitive and doesn't cause damage to the tissue by going too deep (this varies per client and even per session, so its important to have a good therapist!). Its also not uncommon for clients to visit several different therapists until they find one that 'fits'.

I think also its worth working with a therapist over a given amount of time as they will come to know your body and how it responds to the work. I've 'fired' clients for both our sakes, when their body didn't seem to be getting what it needed, and likewise Ive seen clients for years who get great benefit from what I specifically do. Some people find they respond better to a lighter touch, some people respond well to very deep work. And remember, if you find that your body doesn't respond well to deep work, thats ok, you don't lose street cred as an athlete. I think a lot of clients go in thinking that they need to be screaming in pain during a massage to get benefit. A certain level of discomfort is to be expected during deep work, but the goal of massage is not to create further damage to the tissue we're trying to effect. If you're still hurting 3-5 days out, the massage was too deep.
 
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Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I also wanted to add that I find my body personally benefits best from myofascial work such as rolfing and myofascial release (which is a type of massage therapy using little lotion and very slow movement to release the connective tissue layers). Many friends enjoy the more traditional deep tissue approach, whereas I really loathe feeling manhandled and my therapist doesn't get very deep because my body doesnt relax to allow them in. If you go into my neck with an elbow you might find yourself with an elbow to your neck, iykwim. I've got some clients that get great relief from a super deep approach, and others that find a mix of deep tissue techniques and soothing techniques like swedish really help. Its all very individual, sometimes frustratingly so for new clients!
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have a physical therapist who is a certified functional manual therapist. I think it is similar to myofascial release or trigger point therapy. He's been very helpful. It's not as painful/uncomfortable as some deep tissue massages or Rolfing.
 

Gloria

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I would second what @Kimmyt says, yes it can work but you need to find what works for you as there are different techniques. Dry needling, estim, tens, chiropractic all have benefits as well and everyone responds differently to these as well. I generally use a combination of mechanical release, needling and estim. But then it’s up to me to keep up on things after the therapy, in other words once you get things grooving you have to do some work on your own to keep them going. My latest episode was knee pain from my hip. What helped was having a PT manipulate the joint, not by massage but by using a strap to move it around and mobilize it. Follow up was getting heat into the joint and then doing some aggressive stretching. When I say heat in the joint I mean warming up - she had me standing on one foot on top of a raised object I used anything from a yoga block, top of Reebok step, weight plates etc. And doing hip raises, leg circles and kicking back and forth and then stretching. That worked. Another PT did more massage type work around the knee and calf. That didn’t work as well for me. So you really have to kind of shop around and find a provider and method that works for you.
 

Divegirl

Angel Diva
Thank you all for the information and encouragement. I need to reread everything and make some notes. I have a call into a local sports massage therapist. I hope to schedule just a meeting to see if they can help and if I would fit in with them.
I have no problem doing exercises/stretches at home. I have been for 2+ yrs. I know this isn't a cure - there is no cure due to my hip. As one of my PTs told me - "this was just waiting to happen". If I can learn to manage the inflammations with some outside help, I will be extremely happy.
 

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