What happens when a trigger point is released?

Author: Lenna Tremblay  |  Last update: Thursday, October 2, 2025

Trigger point release (formerly ischemic compression) is a massage technique that consists of moderate compression, typically applied with the fingers, to the MTrP. Application of this technique to an MTrP results in a positive effect on pain-pressure threshold.

Is it good to release trigger points?

Manual trigger point therapy is a great way to relieve pain and tension in your body. It's safe and effective and can be done by yourself or with the help of a partner. If you're looking for a way to reduce stress and improve your overall health, consider trying this technique.

What does it feel like when a knot releases?

This myofascial release has a comparable sensation to being rocked by your mother when you were a baby. It causes a pleasant wave sensation to travel throughout the body. It is, in fact, a relaxing experience. That wave infiltrates the restricted areas to allow for softening.

How long does it take to break up trigger points?

The time it takes for trigger points to heal depends on many factors. For example, how many trigger points you have, where they are located, what caused them, and how long you've had them. But regardless of your situation, typically, it takes between two weeks and two months for a trigger point to resolve fully.

Why does pressing on a trigger point release it?

Massage works to release a trigger point by pushing fresh blood in and flushing waste material out. This helps relieve some of your pain by bringing more oxygen into the area and encouraging the muscles to release.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Trigger Points Treatments, Animation.

Do muscle knots pop when massaged?

Trigger points, or muscle knots, are hyperirritable spots within a taut band of skeletal muscle. The pressure applied during therapy can cause these points to release, sometimes resulting in a popping sound. This release can alleviate local and referred pain associated with trigger points.

Why is myofascial release so painful?

It can just feel that way. Fascial tissue that is thickened, glued, restricted, and tight has many points of attachment in the body. Softening and easing tension in one area often leads to a sensation of tightness or pain in another.

Why does pressing on knots feel good?

When you massage a knot, it often feels like you are stretching a rope or taffy which is stuck in your muscle tissues. This may be a result of increased blood flow to the site of tension, but it also may be due to the relaxation of the connective tissue that surrounds your muscles (called fascia).

What do knots feel like under the skin?

“It sometimes feels like a small pea or nodule or tissue underneath the skin,” explains Dr. Dakkak.

What is the most common trigger point?

Trigger points can develop in any muscle, but the most common muscle groups that are treated with trigger point injections include:
  • Masseter (a muscle in your jaw).
  • Levator scapulae (a muscle on the sides of your neck).
  • Gluteus medius (a muscle in your hip).
  • Quadratus lumborum (a deep muscle in your low back).

Should you heat or ice after trigger point release?

I typically advise patients to apply heat to the muscles I have treated after their appointment with me. The use of a heating pad for a 20 minutes on-20 minutes off-20 minutes on regimen can help to flush metabolic wastes that have accumulated from trigger point activity. Dr.

What does it feel like when fascia releases?

When fascia releases, it can feel like taffy softening. Sometimes people may feel cold or heat, tingling or buzzing, burning, or a sense of water or air moving through the area. They may also notice a sensation in an area other than that being treated.

How often should you do trigger point release?

If you are experiencing chronic pain or discomfort, it may be necessary to receive trigger point therapy more frequently, such as every week, until the symptoms have improved. After this, you may be able to reduce the frequency of treatments, to every 4-6 weeks, or as needed.

What are the side effects of trigger release?

Complications are rare, but could include:
  • infection.
  • stiffness or pain in the finger.
  • a tender scar.
  • nerve damage (if a nerve is damaged during surgery, you may never recover the full sensation in the affected area)
  • tendon bowstringing, where the tendon is in the wrong position.

Why are trigger points so painful?

These trigger points are tight and contracted muscles, almost like hard nodules. They may feel swollen, tense, and/or tender site and block off blood supply. When blood supply is disconnected the surrounding nerve cells become irritated, sending pain signals to the region.

Why are muscle knots crunchy?

Potential Causes of Crunchy Muscles

These knots are areas of muscle fibers that have become tightly contracted and can feel like small, firm lumps within the muscle. When you press on them or move the muscle, they might produce a sensation akin to crunchiness.

Why does releasing tension feel good?

Nervous System Calming

Lassey adds that when you stretch, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, creating a state of calm within the body. “This change results in a reduction of stress hormones like cortisol and an increase in the production of endorphins, improving mood.”

What does stuck fascia feel like?

For some people, adhesions can worsen over time, causing the fascia to compress and contort the muscles it surrounds. This can result in hard, tender knots in the muscles, called trigger points. Myofascial pain syndrome is a condition in which those trigger points cause pain to occur: During movement.

What are the disadvantages of trigger point massage?

The disadvantages of using these pressure release techniques are:
  • These techniques are painful for the client, and require the therapist to modulate their pressure to the pain tolerance of the client .
  • Their application can be fatiguing for the therapist if proper biomechanics are not employed.

What vitamin deficiency causes myofascial pain?

Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a common muscle condition characterized by painful trigger points. Vitamin D deficiency has been recognized as a precipitating factor of MPS.

Why is it crunchy when I get a massage?

What's going on inside the muscle? Lack of blood supply to the muscle causes lactic acid to build up, over time this can solidify with calcium deposits and is often the reason we hear a crunching sound when trying to realise the knots.

How do massage therapists know where knots are?

Since pain is typically the notifying factor that you have a knot in your muscle, it's important to tell your massage therapist exactly where you're feeling the discomfort so they can assess the area. Massage therapists are trained to find knots by locating tension near the spot of the knot.

What happens when a muscle knot releases?

When a muscle is tight like that, it can limit blood flow in that area. The theory is when you put pressure on it you're limiting blood flow to the knot, and when you release the pressure, more blood flows in,” he explains. The increased blood flow can help the muscle relax.

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