portable pain reliever
DO YOU SUFFER FROM:
• Headaches
• Neck aches and pains
• Mid and Lower back pain and stiffness
• Pain in between the shoulder blades
• Referred pain down the legs and arms
• Generalised muscle pain and stiffness
• ITB pain (especially in runners)
• Tennis elbow
• Pain under the feet
Rehabilitation
and Exercise
Products
Tel : +27 (0)11 704 0002
Fax : +27 (0)11 704 4999
www.htherapy.co.za
www.triggerstick.co.za
WARNING: While every care has been taken in the design of the Triggerstick and in
preparing these instructions, the proprietor of the Triggerstick cannot be held responsible
for any loss or injury caused by, or during its use or arising from any other cause.
portable pain reliever
A BRIEF HISTORY
The triggerstick is the brainchild of a Durban based Chiropractor,
Dr Francois Botha. Dr Botha recognised the need for his patients as
well as the general public to have access to a simple and effective
way of relieving themselves of the aches and pains caused by
muscular trigger points. This device has now revolutionised the
lives of many of his patients, friends and family.... and now it’s your
turn!
Q1: What is the triggerstick ?
The triggerstick is a tool that allows you to gain access to trigger
points that are difficult to locate and treat by yourself.The
triggerstick can be used in the comfort of your home or office
and help provide effortless relief of the aches and pains accociated with muscular trigger po ints.
Q2: What is a trigger point?
lnfamously known to most people as a KNOT!! Trigger points are
hyper irritable spots in muscles and are responsible for a large
variety of aches and pains all over the body. These spots are associated with nodules that can be "palpated" or felt in the affected
muscles. These spots can either be "latent", and produce pain and
discomfort in a localized area around the trigger point, or they can
be "active" and refer pain and discomfort into other areas of the
body. Trigger points are caused by a whole host of factors and
include stress, poor posture, long hours in front of a computer,
middle to long distance driving and certain sports that place strain
on muscles.
Q3: How do we get rid of trigger points?
One very effective way of getting rid of trigger points is by lschemic
Compression. lschemic compression can be defined as the application of slowly increasing, non-painful pressure over a trigger point
until a barrier of tissue resistance is felt. Contact is then maintained
until the tissue barrier releases, and pressure is increased to reach a
new barrier to eliminate the tenderness as well as the tension in
the trigger point. (Travell, Simons and Simons 1999 1:8).
In essence what this means is that we need to apply pressure to the
tender nodules in our muscles. How exactly this is done will be
discussed in Question 4 below.
Q4: How do I use the triggerstick ?
The triggerstick allows you to reach the trigger points in some of
the most hard to reach muscles in the body. The back is home to
many muscles that work day in and day out to allow us to perform
our daily activities. In this manual you will find simple diagrams
which will show you a few of the common “problem” muscles that
are known to contain trigger points, as well as how to hold the
triggerstick in being able to access these trigger points.
Once you have located the trigger point that you would like to
treat simply follow the guidelines in this manual: Pressure needs to
be applied to the trigger point, to a point where a mild discomfort
is felt. Once the mild discomfort eases after a few seconds, pressure
needs to be increased gradually to the point where the mild
discomfort returns. After repeating this process a number of times
the tension as well as the pain caused by that trigger point may
start to dissipate.This process can be repeated several times
throughout the day on several trigger points for maximum results.
portable pain reliever
NECK PAIN
• Sitting or standing with the neck in the flexed position
Causes of
(e.g. prolonged computer work, reading, writing, sewing etc.)
trigger points • Poor posture in the car or on the couch
in the neck
• Incorrect posture when using a telephone
• Stress
Problem areas.
Apply downward pressure with
inside of right forearm.
When applying pressure
with the Triggerstick, ensure
that the trigger head is
positioned 90º to surface of
the affected area.
Keep right hand still, while applying
pressure with the left hand.
Pull down with the right hand and
holding tight with the left.
Pressure
direction
90º
Trigger point/knot
When applying pressure with the Triggerstick, ensure that the
trigger head is positioned 90º to surface of the affected area.
Warning:
While every care has been taken in the design of the
Triggerstick and in preparing these instructions, the
proprietor of the Triggerstick cannot be held responsible
for any loss or injury caused by, or during its use or
arising from any other cause.
portable pain reliever
MID BACK PAIN
Causes of trigger points
in the mid back
• Continuous tension in the shoulders
(commonly caused by stress)
• Incorrect posture when using a
telephone
• Working on a computer without
correct elbow support
• Whiplash injury
• Tight bra straps in ladies
• Generalised poor posture
Problem areas.
Use both hands to pull forward to apply
pressure to the trigger point.
Use both hands to pull slightly downward
and forward to apply pressure to the
trigger point.
LOW BACK PAIN
Causes of trigger points
in the lower back
•
•
•
•
•
Lifting heavy objects incorrectly
Pregnancy
Obesity
Leg length differences
Walking/jogging / running on
uneven terrain
• Twisting torso in unusual positions
Problem areas.
Use both hands to apply pressure into the
trigger point.
Support Triggerstick with the left hand
while pulling forward with the right arm.
portable pain reliever
SHOULDER PAIN AND TENNIS ELBOW
Causes of trigger points
in the shoulder
• Sports injuries
• Injection into trigger points
• Exertion
Causes of trigger points
in the elbow
• Activities that require constant, tight,
gripping of an object
TENNIS ELBOW
Problem areas.
Support Triggerstick on upper leg, as shown
and use left hand to apply pressure to the
trigger point.
When applying pressure
with the Triggerstick, ensure
that the trigger head is
positioned 90º to surface of
the affected area.
Hook the Triggerstick around opposite leg and
hold Triggerstick as shown above and apply
pressure to the trigger point.
Hook the Triggerstick under the opposite leg
as shown above and apply a downward
pressure on the arm being treated.
Pressure
direction
90º
Trigger point/knot
When applying pressure with the Triggerstick, ensure that the
trigger head is positioned 90º to surface of the affected area.
Warning:
While every care has been taken in the design of the
Triggerstick and in preparing these instructions, the
proprietor of the Triggerstick cannot be held responsible
for any loss or injury caused by, or during its use or
arising from any other cause.
portable pain reliever
LOWER LIMB PAIN
Causes of trigger points
in the leg
• Running long distances
• Running on uneven surfaces
• Direct impact to the muscles
Hook the Triggerstick around opposite leg
and apply pressure to the trigger point in
front of the shin as shown.
Seated on the ground support Triggerstick
as shown and apply downward pressure to
the calf onto the trigger points.
Hook Triggerstick around opposite leg and
hold Triggerstick. Apply downward pressure
with right hand onto the trigger point.
ITB
Use both hands to apply force onto the
trigger points.
Hold Triggerstick horizontally and move knees
apart to apply pressure to the trigger points.
Hold Triggerstick upright and apply
pressure with a downward force
from the foot.
Hold Triggerstick and use left hand to
support the Triggerstick and right to
apply pressure into the trigger point.