Rating: 
Summary: Clair Davies et al. should be canonized
Review: If you suffer from mysterious and FRUSTRATING chronic musculoskeletal pain and are at your wit's end (like I was), ORDER THIS BOOK NOW. This book SAVED ME by helping put an end to about 4 months of "unexplained" pain in my thighs, knees, buttocks and hips. I had spent hundreds of $$ getting x-rays, MRI's, bone scans, and seeing numerous physicians as well as a physical therapist, chiropractor, and a naturopath. None had a clear expanation of what was causing me so much pain for such a long time. I was prescribed massive doses of ibuprofen (which did nothing but ruin my stomach) as well as Valium, Flexeril, Elavil, and finally Prozac. I tried various supplements including potassium, magnesium and B vitamins, but they didn't seem to do anything. I was completely unable to exercise as it made the pain much worse..at times I was unable to walk a couple blocks. I finally got this book last week and realized that little "knots" in my muscles were the source of all this grief. No wonder nothing else (physical therapy, diet, medication) worked! With the book I figured out that I had at about ~10 trigger points in my buttocks/thighs, some which were EXTREMELY painful to massage. Since it was so painful i was a bit skeptical at first but I stuck with it. I began to massage with a tennis ball several times a day. Some trigger points responded immedately after a massage and others took several days, but after a while the aching pains in my legs have subsided! I couldn't believe that something so SIMPLE (something I could do myself) could end such a debilitating problem that numerous doctors & specialists couldn't figure out. Combined with acupuncture and craniosacral therapy & occasional professional deep-tissue massage I would say my pain is 99% gone. I am so glad I discovered this book...I never thought I would find the explanation (and the solution!) for all this pain!! I can now look forward to returning to a normal, pain-free life! Thanks so much to Clair Davies and others who contributed to making this book!!
P.S. I have just started reading through ALL the sections of this book (not just the ones for leg pain) since trigger point massage seems to help with all sorts of pain (i.e. carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, etc). So from now on I will consult this book FIRST before seeking a doctor or some medication for any type of pain. My only regret is that I didn't buy this book sooner!!
Rating:
Summary: This is a book that keeps giving
Review: Mr. Davies writes in a lucid and articulte manner about trigger point therapy and how to apply it. Having dealt with chronic back pain due to a strain while swimming, I had been to a doctor and chiropractor and endured MRI, X-rays, and physical therapy all to no avail and great cost.Thirty minutes after opening this book and focusing on the areas I hurt I had elminated knee pain that had been around for over a year and greatly reduced my back pain. Follow-up with a massage therapist who works on trigger-point and myofacial release therapies made me pain free for the first time in over six months. Since then I've bought several copies of this book. I've given them to friends and even acquaintances who have pain and can benefit from this essential information.
Rating: 
Summary: Effective Self-Help for Pain
Review: This book provides lots of good information on healing pain. It's written in an accessible, easy-to-read style for people who don't know anything about muscles, yet the information is not simplistic, and is useful even for professionals who want to learn about trigger points. This book is great for people who have chronic pain and are motivated to help themselves. Trigger point massage really does a lot more good than anything doctors have to offer -- most doctors are not trained to effectively help people with muscular pain. And it's cheaper and more effective to do it yourself than pay to see a massage therapist, because you'd need to go every day for most seriously chronic problems. I do have a few complaints: There are lots of illustrations, but they don't always show all the areas of referred pain. There are handy lists arranged by body part, but it would be even more helpful to have a more detailed reference guide where you could look up specific symptoms. I also think Davies is a little too enthusiastic, claiming trigger points are the cause of most pain. He is also unfairly disparaging of massage therapists. Any properly trained massage therapist knows it's not always the spot where it hurts that's causing the problem, and if you know how all the muscles work together to act on a joint, and a little about nerve pathways, you're going to address most of the areas that are likely to have trigger points. Still, he has a valid point in that consumers need to ask whether a massage therapist specializes in relaxation massage or knows how to treat specific pain and injuries.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, but watch the selling price...
Review: This is an excellent book, well-written and usable by anyone who is suffering from chronic pain. As a massage therapist, I have found the information and instructions invaluable. My clients and I are both pleased at the results we have achieved in the two years I have been using the book.
Clair Davies has done a wonderful job of taking very technical and 'dense' information, and breaking it down into information that is accessible for all.
I am a little startled to see the prices the book is selling for here-sometimes almost double the cover price for a book which is still in print. If it comes with the Theracane, that is great, but if not...it seems a bit of a gouge.
Rating:
Summary: It works on sciatica
Review: Two years I had stinging pain on the side of my right leg to my toes. When it would fire up it was excruciating and often I would lose strength in the leg. One night while standing watching tv, I found with my thumb a trigger point to the right of L4-5. It was painful and very sensitive. I continued to massage it as directed in the "Manual" until I was getting sore from the rubbing. I turned off the tv and went straight to bed. The next day I was nearly pain free. I ordered a Theracane and continued to work the trigger point for several days. Within four or five days the pain was reduced from an 8 - 10 to 2 -3. Additionally, I heard about a chiropractic treatment called the Cox Technique or
"distraction" treatment. I talked to my chiro and after two sessions pain is absent for days at a time. When it does reoccur it is minimal and ocurring less frequently all the time. There's nothing like the absence of pain.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and Helpful
Review: Want to find those "knots" in your muscles and what to do to get rid of them? This book is very informative when it comes to this concept of "trigger points" and how to find specific points in the muscles that cause surface and referred pain. It also helps to explain what causes trigger points and what to do about them. It gives detailed explaination on the use of trigger point therapy and how to apply the techniques. Nothing will replace stretching and strengthening to rid yourself of chronic muscle conditions, but this will help you to understand what trigger points are and how to deal with them. Self treatment is also explained. I have recommended this text to many friends who have such pain and related problems and all of them had stated that this book has helped them relieve some of their pain.
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