How to Spot Massage Trigger Points in Joints

Though trigger points often feel like they're in joints, the trigger points that affect joints are nearly always located within the surrounding tissue. You can spot trigger points that affect joints by gentle exploration with your fingers and feedback from the person with the trigger point pain.

Instructions

• 1

  Ask the person who is getting trigger point massage if she has any pain, discomfort or loss of mobility in or around her joints. Find out whether she has any health issues that may lead to this pain, such as arthritis or past injuries, as the pain may not be directly linked to trigger points. Knowing this also helps you know where you need to take extra care in seeking trigger points.

• 2

  Let the person receiving the trigger massage know that as you explore his joints, he may experience mild pain or discomfort once you find a trigger point, and the pain may appear in a different part of his body than what you're touching. If he knows this upfront, he's less likely to pull away when you do find a trigger point so you can explore it more effectively.

• 3

  Work gently around the affected joint, locating the muscles that attach to it. Realize that the trigger points will be beside bones and ligaments, not actually on them.

• 4

  Press gently into any hard and knotted muscle you find around joints, moving up and down its length.

• 5

  Check in with the person as you work around the joint. Ask her to tell you if she feels extreme tenderness when you palpate her muscles. When she does, you've most likely spotted a trigger point.

• 6

  Apply steady pressure to the trigger point to release it.