monomer/program_peace · Datasets at Hugging Face

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contractions in small portions of the muscle
In addition to their immediate detrimental effects on muscle function trigger points often
cluster together and pull on tendons and ligaments causing joint problems and deep pain
The tension they cause at joints can result in clicking popping and grating sounds Over time
they can contribute to bone spurs pinched nerves and arthritis Trigger points can be seen in
greatly magnified pictures of muscle tissue like the one below They look like bunchedup
distortions in a weblike matrix
connective tissue
Figure Knot of partially contracted sarcomeres in the muscle fiber from the leg of a dog at x magnification
Compare with the normal sarcomeres above and below it This knot looks like an active contraction but has no
electrical EMG activity and is thus stuck in partial contraction Reprinted with permission from Simons and
Stolov
Dr Janet G Travell MD is generally recognized as the leading pioneer in
trigger point diagnosis and treatment It has been said that she singlehandedly created this
branch of medicine Travell who was the White House physician during the Kennedy and
Johnson administrations emphasized that trigger points are demoralizing and devastating to
quality of life She called them the scourge of mankind Advancedstage trigger points are the
worst They usually present in clusters are the most painful and involve highly warped muscle
fibers with large numbers of molecular aberrations In reality most people are practically
covered in trigger points from old injuries bad posture poor workout techniques and bracing
Muscle Tension Develops at the Molecular Level
To better understand trigger points we need a little more background on muscles themselves
Muscles are composed of fibers which are themselves made of smaller fibers The thinnest of
Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy
those hold sarcomeres in which contraction takes place A sarcomere is a microscopic structure
built from two kinds of filamentlike molecules actin and myosin Actin and myosin form
interdigitating strands that can be activated When active they move past each other quickly
creating contractile force
Fascicle Fiber Myofibril all
I
Ui
ml a a
illustration A Muscle made of fibers containing sarcomeres B Microscopic view of contracted sarcomeres in
a muscle myofibril An actual trigger point may contain dozens of these tiny knots
Millions of sarcomeres must contract to perform even the smallest movement After they
contract the sarcomeres relax when their actin and myosin strands are uncoupled from each
other and pull apart In healthy muscle actin and myosin wait patiently in a relaxed decoupled
state until an impulse from the nervous system tells them to pull past each other again In
unhealthy muscle they are stuck Many specialists believe that trigger points start to form
when overuse causes actin and myosin to become fixed in an interlocked position This
interlocking puts the muscle into a static state of contracture in which the strands no longer
separate and relax
Relaxation Actin
ele ACTIN
Contraction
Illustration A Relaxed sarcomere on top and a contracted sarcomere on the bottom with actin and myosin
visible B Myosin curls like a finger pulling on actin and allowing them to slide past each other to create muscular
movement C Human neck and shoulders covered with clusters of trigger points
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
Trigger points originate from a few different sources sustained lowlevel contraction
sudden muscle overload eccentric contraction when a muscle stretches and contracts
simultaneously and gross trauma or injury to the muscle Regardless of the cause trigger
points slow blood flow to the muscle and cause oxygen deprivation at the affected site
The reduced blood flow then causes sarcomeres to contract further constricting the
surrounding capillaries Capillaries normally supply the muscle with blood so when they
constrict it leads to reduced circulation or ischemia that impairs many cellular processes
Without blood flow chemical waste products from muscular activity start to accumulate
Eventually the waste stimulates pain receptors in nearby nerve endings sending pain signals to
the brain Active trigger points demonstrate an unusual biochemical mix not seen in healthy
tissue It is an acidic milieu containing increased levels of proinflammatory contractile and
paincausing substances And remember we draw our very breaths with muscles that are
affected by these symptoms
Muscle Shortening and Scar Tissue
A muscle can change its resting length to adapt to the length at which it is habitually used or
positioned Muscles usually become shorter due to prolonged contracture This is known as
adaptive muscle shortening and places the muscle in a state of partial contraction It is another
pervasive clinical finding that affects every person who has ever lived
People confined to long periods of sitting exhibit debilitating shortening of the lower back
and hip muscles especially the hip flexors Similarly wearing highheeled shoes causes
prolonged plantar flexion of the foot which results in adaptive shortening of the soleus
muscles Constant squinting shortens the muscle fibers of the orbicularis oculi narrowing the
eyes Straining the sneer causes the muscles that lift the top lip to shrink making the face
appear hideous When the muscles in your knees and ankles shorten they leave you vulnerable
to sprains and tears Holding a hunched neck posture leads to shortening of the
sternocleidomastoid and other muscles in the front of the neck making it very difficult to stop
hunching because the decreased length of these muscles pulls the head down As Chapter
will explain bracing the muscles surrounding the genitals may play a role in sexual dysfunction
There are examples of adaptive muscle shortening in muscles all over our bodies
The pressure from prolonged contracture pulls on tendons straining them and distressing
the joints when they move Next ligaments and joint capsules retract These changes perturb
nerve endings within the muscles and joints causing deepseated pain Muscle shortening also
increases wear and tear contributing to inflammatory and degenerative changes such as
tendonitis fasciitis bursitis and osteoarthritis Many different tissue types are damaged by
strain including articular cartilages connective tissues tendons fascia menisci ligaments and
spinal disks
Adaptive muscle shortening can be made worse by the accumulation of scar tissue Scar
tissue is a very tough inflexible fibrous material that binds itself to strained muscle fibers
attempting to draw the damaged fibers together The result is a bulky mass of stiff tissue
surrounding the site In some cases it is possible to feel and even see this mass under the skin
When scar tissue adheres to muscle fibers it prevents them from sliding back and forth
properly limiting the flexibility of a muscle or joint
Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy
Scar tissue tends to shrink and deform the surrounding tissues diminishing strength and
making the body feel heavy It tends to adhere to nerve cells leading to chronic pain Existing
research has found that scar tissue is weaker less elastic more prone to future reinjury and
up to times more painsensitive than normal healthy tissue This results in chronic pain
that under most circumstances lasts a lifetime In people who brace the most these effects
create visibly apparent postural distortions
Excessive Tension is Debilitating and Constrains Your Physique
Muscles encumbered by trigger points and adaptive shortening can be conceptualized as

contractions in small portions of the muscle

In addition to their immediate detrimental effects on muscle function trigger points often

cluster together and pull on tendons and ligaments causing joint problems and deep pain

The tension they cause at joints can result in clicking popping and grating sounds Over time

they can contribute to bone spurs pinched nerves and arthritis Trigger points can be seen in

greatly magnified pictures of muscle tissue like the one below They look like bunchedup

distortions in a weblike matrix

connective tissue

Figure Knot of partially contracted sarcomeres in the muscle fiber from the leg of a dog at x magnification

Compare with the normal sarcomeres above and below it This knot looks like an active contraction but has no

electrical EMG activity and is thus stuck in partial contraction Reprinted with permission from Simons and

Stolov

Dr Janet G Travell MD is generally recognized as the leading pioneer in

trigger point diagnosis and treatment It has been said that she singlehandedly created this

branch of medicine Travell who was the White House physician during the Kennedy and

Johnson administrations emphasized that trigger points are demoralizing and devastating to

quality of life She called them the scourge of mankind Advancedstage trigger points are the

worst They usually present in clusters are the most painful and involve highly warped muscle

fibers with large numbers of molecular aberrations In reality most people are practically

covered in trigger points from old injuries bad posture poor workout techniques and bracing

Muscle Tension Develops at the Molecular Level

To better understand trigger points we need a little more background on muscles themselves

Muscles are composed of fibers which are themselves made of smaller fibers The thinnest of

Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy

those hold sarcomeres in which contraction takes place A sarcomere is a microscopic structure

built from two kinds of filamentlike molecules actin and myosin Actin and myosin form

interdigitating strands that can be activated When active they move past each other quickly

creating contractile force

Fascicle Fiber Myofibril all

I

Ui

ml a a

illustration A Muscle made of fibers containing sarcomeres B Microscopic view of contracted sarcomeres in

a muscle myofibril An actual trigger point may contain dozens of these tiny knots

Millions of sarcomeres must contract to perform even the smallest movement After they

contract the sarcomeres relax when their actin and myosin strands are uncoupled from each

other and pull apart In healthy muscle actin and myosin wait patiently in a relaxed decoupled

state until an impulse from the nervous system tells them to pull past each other again In

unhealthy muscle they are stuck Many specialists believe that trigger points start to form

when overuse causes actin and myosin to become fixed in an interlocked position This

interlocking puts the muscle into a static state of contracture in which the strands no longer

separate and relax

Relaxation Actin

ele ACTIN

Contraction

Illustration A Relaxed sarcomere on top and a contracted sarcomere on the bottom with actin and myosin

visible B Myosin curls like a finger pulling on actin and allowing them to slide past each other to create muscular

movement C Human neck and shoulders covered with clusters of trigger points

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

Trigger points originate from a few different sources sustained lowlevel contraction

sudden muscle overload eccentric contraction when a muscle stretches and contracts

simultaneously and gross trauma or injury to the muscle Regardless of the cause trigger

points slow blood flow to the muscle and cause oxygen deprivation at the affected site

The reduced blood flow then causes sarcomeres to contract further constricting the

surrounding capillaries Capillaries normally supply the muscle with blood so when they

constrict it leads to reduced circulation or ischemia that impairs many cellular processes

Without blood flow chemical waste products from muscular activity start to accumulate

Eventually the waste stimulates pain receptors in nearby nerve endings sending pain signals to

the brain Active trigger points demonstrate an unusual biochemical mix not seen in healthy

tissue It is an acidic milieu containing increased levels of proinflammatory contractile and

paincausing substances And remember we draw our very breaths with muscles that are

affected by these symptoms

Muscle Shortening and Scar Tissue

A muscle can change its resting length to adapt to the length at which it is habitually used or

positioned Muscles usually become shorter due to prolonged contracture This is known as

adaptive muscle shortening and places the muscle in a state of partial contraction It is another

pervasive clinical finding that affects every person who has ever lived

People confined to long periods of sitting exhibit debilitating shortening of the lower back

and hip muscles especially the hip flexors Similarly wearing highheeled shoes causes

prolonged plantar flexion of the foot which results in adaptive shortening of the soleus

muscles Constant squinting shortens the muscle fibers of the orbicularis oculi narrowing the

eyes Straining the sneer causes the muscles that lift the top lip to shrink making the face

appear hideous When the muscles in your knees and ankles shorten they leave you vulnerable

to sprains and tears Holding a hunched neck posture leads to shortening of the

sternocleidomastoid and other muscles in the front of the neck making it very difficult to stop

hunching because the decreased length of these muscles pulls the head down As Chapter

will explain bracing the muscles surrounding the genitals may play a role in sexual dysfunction

There are examples of adaptive muscle shortening in muscles all over our bodies

The pressure from prolonged contracture pulls on tendons straining them and distressing

the joints when they move Next ligaments and joint capsules retract These changes perturb

nerve endings within the muscles and joints causing deepseated pain Muscle shortening also

increases wear and tear contributing to inflammatory and degenerative changes such as

tendonitis fasciitis bursitis and osteoarthritis Many different tissue types are damaged by

strain including articular cartilages connective tissues tendons fascia menisci ligaments and

spinal disks

Adaptive muscle shortening can be made worse by the accumulation of scar tissue Scar

tissue is a very tough inflexible fibrous material that binds itself to strained muscle fibers

attempting to draw the damaged fibers together The result is a bulky mass of stiff tissue

surrounding the site In some cases it is possible to feel and even see this mass under the skin

When scar tissue adheres to muscle fibers it prevents them from sliding back and forth

properly limiting the flexibility of a muscle or joint

Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy

Scar tissue tends to shrink and deform the surrounding tissues diminishing strength and

making the body feel heavy It tends to adhere to nerve cells leading to chronic pain Existing

research has found that scar tissue is weaker less elastic more prone to future reinjury and

up to times more painsensitive than normal healthy tissue This results in chronic pain

that under most circumstances lasts a lifetime In people who brace the most these effects

create visibly apparent postural distortions

Excessive Tension is Debilitating and Constrains Your Physique

Muscles encumbered by trigger points and adaptive shortening can be conceptualized as