by Clair Davies, N.C.T.M.B.
Many people with a chronic illness also suffer from chronic pain. Yet few know that pain that does not stem from arthritis, neuropathy or a spinal defect, may in fact be caused by a knot in the muscle. Knots in muscles that refer pain or similar discomfort to other parts of the body are called trigger points.

Any healthy person can develop a trigger point from repetitive work, physical trauma like an auto accident, or simply from poor posture. On the other end of the spectrum, a disease called chronic myofascial pain occurs when a person’s muscles are predisposed to developing trigger points throughout the body. So what can one do about trigger points?
Clair Davies began a highly successful career as a piano tuner in the 1960s. He achieved worldwide fame for his articles and the tools he created for piano tuning. But the one obstacle he could not overcome was the frozen shoulder problem he developed over his years of performing his work. He tried the usual modalities: physical therapy, ice, hot showers, rest, exercise, stretching. Nothing helped. Then one day, he remembered a set of books he had seen on the desk of a massage therapist, who had since moved away. Those books were volumes one and two of “The Trigger Point Manual” by Janet Travell and David Simons.
It was through reading these books that Davies realized the source of the problem was not where the pain was located. The pain in the front of his shoulder was caused by a trigger point behind the shoulder, in the infraspinatus muscle. Other trigger points existed near the shoulder blades, in his neck- in a total of about 20 sites. Davies learned through trial and error that if he applied the proper amount of pressure and massage on the trigger points, they would resolve, and the pain would cease. He succeeded in fixing his frozen shoulder, and this motivated him to develop a system for trigger point therapy throughout the body.
At the age of 60, Davies made the bold choice to become a massage therapist. He gave up his lucrative career as a piano tuner and enrolled in the Utah College of Massage Therapy. Soon he was teaching students and instructors alike how to apply self-massage to rid them of their own trigger points. After starting his own private practice in Kentucky, he decided to share his knowledge by writing this book.
“The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook” can be used by readers who have absolutely no medical knowledge. It carefully explains the features of trigger points and what causes and perpetuates them. It also describes safe ways to perform self-massage without straining your hands or fingers. Davies recommends the use of simple things you might find in the house, such as a tennis ball, to aid in massaging areas you cannot reach with your hands. A person with limited range of motion might want to use a specially designed tool such as a Thera Cane. For each muscle group, Davies describes the most effective way to reach, massage and resolve each trigger point you may find.
The most valuable feature of this workbook is the multitude of illustrations showing the muscles being described, the most common trigger point sites for those muscles and the areas of referred pain those trigger points typically cause. For each muscle group, there is a detailed description of the location and function of the muscles, typical causes of trigger points in those areas, symptoms besides pain that the trigger points can cause, and the most effective method of massage for those muscles. Case histories are included in some sections. The chapters are divided according to pain sites; e.g., Chapter 5 is devoted to shoulder, upper back and upper arm pain. So if you are experiencing bothersome symptoms you suspect may be caused by a trigger point, you simply turn to the chapter dedicated to the part of the body that hurts, look at the chart listing the muscles that can cause pain in that area and turn to the pages indicated.
For anyone with chronic myofascial pain, this book is a necessity. Even if you go to a massage therapist regularly, you can use a tennis ball or Thera Cane for trigger points that flare up in between appointments. And some muscles, such as the masseter muscles of the jaw which frequently cause TMJ type pain, cannot be reached by a massage therapist (the easiest access to the masseters is inside the mouth) and so the best way to get rid of them is to work on them yourself. And for those who cannot afford professional massage, the book pays for itself many times over if you use its methods regularly to keep trigger points from limiting your mobility and engulfing you in pain.
There was recently a second edition of this book published. It has two bonus chapters at the end written by Clair Davies’ daughter Amber, herself a massage therapist. One of the chapters is written primarily for massage therapists, but might be useful if you want to learn how to help someone get rid of a trigger point. It also provides good quality illustrations.
“The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook” is one of the most useful references in my library. It was this book that showed me that the burning pain in my right index finger was not from a problem in the hand, but actually from trigger points in the scalene muscles in the neck. And that my inability to reach behind me was not because of a weak arm but due to trigger points in the teres major/teres minor area at the base of the shoulder blade. I was able to resolve these trigger points, and I work on those muscles periodically as necessary to keep the symptoms from returning.
So if you suffer from chronic myofascial pain, repetitive strain injuries or other pain that could have a muscular cause, get a copy of “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook”. What have you got to lose but a few trigger points?
Review written by: Karen Brauer, Butyoudontlooksick.com ©2008
Title: The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook
Author: Clair Davies, N.C.T.M.B.
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
IBSN: 1572242507