Nimmo Method & Trigger Point Treatment
Nimmo Method is a system of treating Trigger Points, small areas of pain generation inside muscles and other tissues, utilizing a chiropractic approach to good body mechanics. Trigger Points cause muscles to contract abnormally and distort the spine and other joints, as well as send pain to distant locations.
Trigger Points will:
- Cause a muscle to be tighter or even spasm
- Cause muscle imbalance, twisting joints into painful or hard-wearing positions
- Cause you to bend or move in a way that isn’t normal, making you susceptible to injury
- Generate pain that goes somewhere else (good example: headache, which is usually not from the head itself)
- Sometimes develop bizarre symptoms, including weakness, tingling, and burning
- Create, contribute to, or prolong chiropractic subluxations
- Fool you into thinking the joint is “giving out”
- Cause or contribute to arthritic pain
- Prolong an injury or inflammation, or create chronic pain
- Affect athletic performance
- If there are enough of them, create all-over achiness, weariness, and malaise
The good news is that when the trigger points are found and treated, the results are often swift and dramatic. The bad news is they can be hard to find, are spread through the body, sometimes far from the pain, and they talk to each other. And since the treatment involves pressure, they are often sore when located and treated. However, the good news is that the treatment is a good hurt. “Someone finally put their finger on my pain,” is a common statement.
Treating trigger points is not easy. Many practitioners know common trigger points and treat them “here and there as needed,” but to be really effective requires an in-depth knowledge of location and how they network. Trigger points occur throughout the body, and create everything from shoulder pain, headaches, knee pain, tendonitis, arthritis, jaw problems, nerve impingement, and back pain.
It is essential, especially if the trigger point has been around for a while, to follow up with the proper stretches and conditioning, and to take a close look at what led to the trigger point being there in the first place. This might be repetitive stress, old injury, problem habits, bad chair, bad shoes, even poor diet. Health is a big job these days.
If a trigger point did cause a chiropractic subluxation, making sure that joint has been restored to normal motion is also essential. This is done through a chiropractic adjustment or other mobilization methods.
What to expect with Trigger Point Treatment:
Treating a trigger point is uncomfortable. It can also feel really good, like it’s getting the pain out. But sometimes the trigger points can be so nasty we have to go slowly.
- It’s not unusual to be sore the next day, especially after the first one or two treatments.
- You should drink lots of water – trigger points contain toxins, and they need to be flushed out.
- Stretching and heat afterward are helpful. It’s usually best to use the new movement you’ve gained.
- Since pain is often caused by body imbalance, sometimes pain can get worse or shift around after treatment, especially at first, because changes occur that are not always in balance. If there is an unexpected pain, we expect the patient to call and ask about it. It is rarely an injury, and can usually be quickly fixed.
- You may be sore coming in for a follow-up treatment, and not want to be touched yet. Come anyway, but tell the doctor. It is usually due to toxins in the tissues and a light treatment often takes the soreness out.
- Patients rarely bruise from treatment. If you do, it usually indicates a need for more vitamin C or collagen-supportive nutrition, or it is because of medication. We’ll find a way to work with you.
- You may, after a treatment, not believe it would be good for your 100 year old grandmother, but you will be surprised: this type of treatment is often greatly appreciated by people with fragile bones, fused spines, or that don’t react well to traditional chiropractic adjustments or even massage. The amount of pressure used varies tremendously, and is based on patient tolerance and muscle density.
- Trigger points often tickle on children. Children don’t typically get too many, but if they do they resolve quickly.
- Some types of pain resolve right away, others take longer. The longer the Trigger Point has been there, the more fibrous it can get, hence the more stubborn. Even so, sometimes pain that has existed for years vanishes overnight.
- A longer-standing trigger point has more tendency to come back, but that’s where exercise and other ergonomic changes help.
- Treatments take about 10 or 15 minutes unless especially complex or involved, or longer if combined with traditional chiropractic adjustments or other procedures. Lotion may be used as an aid with long muscles. Soft clothing is helpful. We have shorts and gowns available if needed.
- Treatment intervals of twice per week for 1 to 3 weeks is typical, followed by 1-3 months at increasingly longer intervals. Unless something comes up, we like to allow at least a day between visits. Speak to the doctor about any other treatment you might be receiving, including massage, to check for compatibility.
- Like all body corrections, usually pain leaves before the problem is actually fixed. Do the follow-up.
- Although extremely useful, no one treatment fixes everything. We will combine this procedure with others for the best result, or refer for concurrent care.