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Summary: The best thing you can do for yourself is to buy this book
Review: and the second best thing you can do is to tell your doctor and physical therapist about it. It deserves to be part of every medical school's curriculum and should be a must read for everyone out there with pain: back, neck, shoulder, foot pain etc. Mr. Davies has written a clear, understandable book that can help the average person troubleshoot and then treat myofascial pain. This book will give you a roadmap to common trigger points, or small contraction knots in the muscles of the body, which pain specialists feel are involved in a majority of pain problems. It then guides you in treating those trigger points. My own journey began with neck pain that was unsuccessfully treated with anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants, and only partially remedied with conventional physical therapy. After referring to this book, I have found the relief that I have been seeking. I also eased shoulder pain that was so troublesome. In fact I have discovered why my plantar fasciitis (heel spurs) wasn't responding to conventional treatments such as orthotics and stretching. If you are plagued with pain that no one seems to be able to help you with, then consult this excellent workbook and help yourself. I just don't understand why when this type of therapy can help so many, it isn't one of the first things your doctor prescribes for you. You are the best judge of your pain, and with the information contained in this book, you just might become the best manager of it.
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Summary: If you've tried everything under the sun. Give this a chance
Review: Before I started working with this book, I was ready to face oral surgery hoping to alive TMJ, which I thought was the cause of my vocal problems. I didn't know that my back pain and general muscle tension were all related with active trigger points. After 4 months of doing the therapy my self, I feel a lot better. The results that I got from Mr. Clair's book have brought new hope for my opera singing career. Now that my body is looser and freer, my voice is too.
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Summary: Buy Now as it really works
Review: Being a LMT, I help a lot of my clients on pain relief. This book is a wonderful source honing my skill. It addresses a lot of common muscle pains bothering my clients. I vouch all the techniques covered in this book work well.Even though this book is a self-treatment guide, I personally believe massage therapists get the most benefit out of it. I recommend all the message therapists who are into deep tissue and trigger point to use this book as a reference.
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Summary: Excellent book!
Review: Believe the reviews here...I must say I had my doubts about purchasing this book, but had gotten a recommendation from a friend of mine. I've noticed that the worst of pains ease or disappear as a result of massaging noted key trigger points. The way I recommend reading this book is to read Chs. 1-3, then use the index and "Trigger Point Guide" and pictures as to your road map of what to do next. I agree with a previous review that there is some initial jumping around and some slight organizational confusion, but after practicing with 5 trigger points, you'll wonder how you got along without this book.
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Summary: All Massage Therapists Should Own and Use This Book
Review: Clair Davies is really on to something here. I deal with chronic pain in my massage therapy practice daily. I've been able to help my clients, using Clair's methods, to rid themselves of pain they've dealt with for years. Clair presents his material in an easy to read, practical format--and the pictures are excellent. Anyone--professional and lay person alike--can benefit from this book. In fact, I recommend this book to my clients. I'm always encouraging them to try to help themselves during the time between our sessions. If you've got pain or help others deal with their pain, get this book. You won't be sorry.
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Summary: Simplified version of a great text book!
Review: I am a Physical Therapy Assistant and a Massage Therapist. I've been showing and telling my patients and clients for a few years now to invest in "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" by Clair Davies. It is a wonderful breakdown of Dr. Travell's text books.It's easy to understand and you can look up the hurting part and find the different places to give pressure to. I have shown the pictures to patients and let them read while they receive their modalities in therapy. They are much relieved and seem to get better quicker knowing that their pain can be allieviated and completely abolished by self-pressure applied with awareness,intent and knowledge. The case history examples are a great support and reinforcement when the anatomy explanation is too much for the non-healthcare lay-person. I have not purchased the new edition yet, but I will since my book is close to falling apart from use. Would love to see this book on CD or in a file box for professionals to use and to give as patient education handouts. You cannot go wrong with this book. My 72 yo father takes care of all his aches and pains himself. Wish all my patients were that good.
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Summary: GET RID OF PAIN - GIVE THE BOOK TO A MASSAGE THERAPIST
Review: I am practicing SSY meditation, a powerful Samadhi meditation technique (not the buddhist Samadhi - the Yogic Samadhi), for 5 months now.
A couple of weeks ago my head muscles relaxed to such an extent that severe headaches surfaced. I thought to meditate it away, but it wouldn't budge.
By chance I picked up this book, which I had bought for scoliosis a few months ago. It remained un-opened in my library as I had no time to go over it. WHAT LUCK. Perfect diagnosis. The sharp pains in my head are trigger points. The burning pain is the referred pain from the trigger points. It perfectly matches the theory as neatly explained in the illustrations in the book.
I tried massaging myself - difficult. I have high pain tolerance, but this was above me. after 2 days my motivation was below zero. It was REALLY painful.
I showed the book to a massage therapist friend, and he gave me a 5 minutes head rub per my instructions. The pain had gone down about 50%. This seems to be the good strategy - diagnoze yourself, then let the experts treat you. It's their business to know how to put the pressure on the tissue.
When I get the next rub I'll address the back pain. I didn't buy the "over-tight compressed muscles on one side, weak stretched muscles on the other side" scoliosis theory to begin with. Just goes to show how backward the establishment treatment level is.
Start smiling in relief. You can't miss with this outstanding book. Get it for your doctor.
Good luck!
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Summary: Must buy for massage students and massage therapists
Review: I bought this book as when I was a massage student. It helped me to use my hands more effectively. This book is excellent and it teach massage therapists how to give relief to people with tendinitis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle strain, etc. I also used this book as a reference for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. Believe me they do ask trigger points on the test. However I found the following books just awesome when it came to helping me prepare for the National Certification Examination.
The Ultimate Study Guide for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers
(Topics: Human Anatomy, Physiology and Kinesiology)Vol 1 The Ultimate Study Guide for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers
(Topics: Clinical Pathology and Recognition of Various Conditions)Vol 2 The Ultimate Study Guide for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers
(Topics: Massage Therapy and Bodywork: Theory, Assessment and Application. Professional Standards, Ethics and Business Practices) Vol 3 The last 3 books had the kind of questions asked on the National Certification exam. It showed me what type of questions to look out for on the test. I passed the first time with the help of these four books. I also recommend Tortora's anatomy and physiology also as a reference for the section on the test. Anyway, this trigger point book was well-written and should be part of any massage therapist's library.
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Summary: This really works!
Review: I confess when I ordered this book I thought all the glowing reports might be a bit exaggerated, and expected nothing more than an above-average manual on massage. I soon found out I was wrong...this book is unlike any I have ever seen. More importantly, the techniques that author Clair Davies outlines *really work*. The book lays out a complete system for treating muscular pain in the body, with excellent diagrams and clear and detailed explanations. The book addresses a wide variety of common and uncommon aches and pains throughout the anatomy, some of which you might never attribute to a problem with a muscle. The illustrations clearly show where these patterns of "referred pain" are located, along with the corresponding muscle trigger points. The great thing is that by simply touching the trigger point in question, you can instantly verify that it is in fact the source of the pain. Davies' writing is direct, honest, and good-humored. The explanations are easy to follow and accessible to the lay-person. Personally, I would have been interested in more detailed medical information in the text, and Davies alludes to some of this in passing. However, he has condensed just the essentials for easy self-treatment in this volume, and the book is probably more effective and usable for that reason. The massage techniques that Davies describes are simple and can be self-administered, usually with the hands or a tennis ball. I have used the techniques to relieve pain in my shoulders, arms, and hands from sitting for long periods at the computer, as well as sciatic pain and knee pain caused by a bike accident. In each case, I got quick and lasting relief after only a few minutes of massage a day. Every home should have a copy of this book. It's well worth the investment - it will pay for itself in what you'll save on doctor and chiropractor bills and pain killers.
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Summary: Thank You.
Review: I did browse the Travell books. But at ($) a set, I couldn't afford them at the time. My research has led me to this book, which I endorse 100%. It may lack in some detailed areas (but that can covered with supplemental material bought elsewhere). I passed this book around one day, and a few people were thankful that they finally found their problems lie in mfd and were going to take issue with their doctors on it. Worth every penny. Worth twice as much.
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