Trigger  Point Therapy is a modality that fits under the umbrella of NMT, or  PNMT. Aside from massage therapists, it is popular in many diverse  medical circles; Chiropractic, Osteopathic, and Physio/Physical Therapy  all teach some version of this approach. One can also easily draw  correlations between trigger points and acupressure, shiatsu, and many  other traditional massage approaches. As far as modalities go, it has  been very heavily researched,  but experts are no where near agreeing on what that research suggests.  You can find believers and skeptics, and many folks in the middle (like  me) waiting for a compelling conclusion.

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The  basic premise for trigger points is simple, which makes for a good  story. When muscle tissue gets damaged in a particular way, usually an  overly demanding eccentric activity, bands within that muscle get locked  into a contracted state. While the rest of the muscle continues to  function, these specific bands are neurologically stuck constantly  contracting and going no where. These bands are hard, like a tiny  "muscle knot" and they are filled with an inflammatory soup. Within a 3-6 millimeter span, if you apply direct pressure on one, there will be sharp pain which refers along quasi-well-documented patterns. Agreement beyond these basic ideas is hard to find and even  the very existence of such points has been questioned since they show up in living people, but don't show up during cadaver dissections.

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With  that, offering Trigger Point Therapy, and Neuromuscular Therapy as a  service requires some careful consideration. I still follow much of my  training in regards to treating these hyper-irritable points in muscles,  but I have become much more careful. The principles of careful  assessment, careful palpation, moderate pressure on the precise point  that elicits a familiar sensation, and so on seem solid even if the  scientific consensus shifts to favor some other explanation for muscle  pain. I have integrated education from many other sources to include  modern pain science into my current treatment practices.