Rating: 
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Bonnie Prudden did it first...
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.
Rating:
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: Solved my Wrist Pain - awesome!
Review: I love this book! It explained the exact cause of pain in my right wrist - bending the hand at the elbow when using a computer mouse/keyboard. The trigger point was near my elbow, and a massage there completely relieved my pain!
I now have a "quill mouse" (quillmouse dot com) that keeps the wrist at a neutral position and the pain in my wrist has not returned.
One thing I didn't find in this book is regarding middle back pain. I've been having it since I began work, and found something on the trigger point website (triggerpoint dot com /backpain.htm) about it being referred pain from the stomach, but the book did not contain that information.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING
Review: I NEVER WRITE REVIEWS, BUT I HAVE TO SAY THIS IS THE MOST PRACTICALLY ORIENTATED BOOK ON THE MARKET THAT COVERS ALL THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM A-Z ON TRIGGER POINTS - A THOROUGH DIY MANUAL. A TRULY REMARKABLE BOOK BY TRULY REMARKABLE PEOPLE WHO HAVE KINDLY SHARED THEIR KNOWLDGE AND EXPERTISE WITH THE WORLD. IF YOUR IN PAIN DONT HESITATE TO BUY THIS BOOK ITS GURANTEED TO BE OF BENEFIT.
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Summary: Fibromyalgia and Boby Pain
Review: I rate this book right up there with Devin Starlanyl's books. I have had Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain most of my adult life and have been disabled the past 5 years. This book by Mr. Davies has just helped me end 2 months of an excruiating flare of muscle pain. I showed it to my Pain Management physician, who is ordering one for his office and will advise his other patients similarly effected to purchase one if possible. When all the doctors don't know what else to tell you about relieving your body/muscle pain, this book is the answer. It is easily understood by medical professionals and laypeople alike. It's deascription of the muscles and the mechanism involved in the creation of unexplained boby pain is outstanding. Anyone, by themself or with another person, will find the diagrams showing the location of trigger points in muscles and how to achieve relief easy to learn. Mr. Davies explanation of massage therapy for trigger point release has made this book one of the best and most valued tools for self-treatment of body pain.
Rating:
Summary: About time, I found something that works.
Review: I second the reviews of so many who have been helped by this book. It took a piano technician turned massage therapist to write such a useful book I have spent thousands with specialists who were of little help. None of the many doctors or therapists diagnosed my real problem...trigger points! This book is invaluable for people with soft tissue pain. It is clear, concise and practical. Read the book, follow Clair Danes advice, get a theracane, a lacrosse ball and go at it.
Rating:
Summary: Oh my gosh - a MUST HAVE!
Review: I stumbled onto this book in desperation about a year ago. I was 6 months postop from a cervical spine fusion (C 5-6-7) but I continued to have pain in the scapula region and my neck was still so tight I thought I would lose my mind if I couldn't find a way to decrease my pain and improve my mobility. It actually went all the way down my left side and hip. I'd been thru all the proper medical channels and had some benefit from physical therapy but I could NOT get those people (medical) to understand how deep the pain was and how determined I was to get better. I guess they thought since I was functioning (working and going to grad school) at a pretty high level I must be OK. ARGH. We need to teach them to LISTEN better. THis book-ALONE-helped tremendously and I immediately bought a Theracane. I started getting professional massages a couple months later and was fortunate to find a person who is well-versed in trigger point. Between the 2 of us I am 110% better but still not "perfect" (and probably won't ever be!). I start every morning with a lot of trigger point massage while I'm still laying in bed planning out my day! I'm sure people think I'm nuts when they see me driving down the road with a tennis ball in my hand! Just yesterday during my massage, the therapist told me to go home and look up QUADRATUS LUMBORUM in my Trigger Point book. Lo and behold... I thought I was reading about myself! It's amazing how working on these trigger points also releases the tension UP my spine and in the scapula area. I use the trigger point massage in combination with chiropractic adjustments and professional massage (every 2-3 wks) and I do still take Vioxx. Each individual has to find what works best for him/her. BUY THIS BOOK TODAY - YOU WON'T BE SORRY! This book CAN be read by the average "Joe or Susie" and help will follow! I've bought at least 6 copies for friends/relatives and recommend it heartily.
Rating:
Summary: Oh my gosh - a MUST HAVE!
Review: I stumbled onto this book in desperation about a year ago. I was 6 months postop from a cervical spine fusion (C 5-6-7) but I continued to have pain in the scapula region and my neck was still so tight I thought I would lose my mind if I couldn't find a way to decrease my pain and improve my mobility. It actually went all the way down my left side and hip. I'd been thru all the proper medical channels and had some benefit from physical therapy but I could NOT get those people (medical) to understand how deep the pain was and how determined I was to get better. I guess they thought since I was functioning (working and going to grad school) at a pretty high level I must be OK. ARGH. We need to teach them to LISTEN better. THis book-ALONE-helped tremendously and I immediately bought a Theracane. I started getting professional massages a couple months later and was fortunate to find a person who is well-versed in trigger point. Between the 2 of us I am 110% better but still not "perfect" (and probably won't ever be!). I start every morning with a lot of trigger point massage while I'm still laying in bed planning out my day! I'm sure people think I'm nuts when they see me driving down the road with a tennis ball in my hand! Just yesterday during my massage, the therapist told me to go home and look up QUADRATUS LUMBORUM in my Trigger Point book. Lo and behold... I thought I was reading about myself! It's amazing how working on these trigger points also releases the tension UP my spine and in the scapula area. I use the trigger point massage in combination with chiropractic adjustments and professional massage (every 2-3 wks) and I do still take Vioxx. Each individual has to find what works best for him/her. BUY THIS BOOK TODAY - YOU WON'T BE SORRY! This book CAN be read by the average "Joe or Susie" and help will follow! I've bought at least 6 copies for friends/relatives and recommend it heartily.
Rating:
Summary: Arthritis and other pains
Review: I was in so much pain that I couldn't sleep at night. I was diagnosed with arthritis (hip, back, etc), but I was not satisfied that this explained my pain. Then I found Davies' book and started to work on trigger points with the rubber ball he recommends. It didn't solve all my problems, but it reduced my pain to the point where I could sleep without pills (and demonstrated that my pain was at least partly muscular)--and all for the cost of a ... little ball! And now (several other therapies later), I still keep the book and the rubber ball by my bed, and still follow its directions to massage key areas on a daily basis. This book is terrific--the best "self-help" book I've seen. It is clearly written, well organized, mostly well illustrated, and contains a wealth of really useful detail. It is definitely not one of those "glossy" books--all photos and no useful information. The author really does take the approach of someone who was himself helped by this therapy and who wants to make it as clear and accessible to his readers as possible. Very highly recommended.
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