Three exercises to address hip pain with an ORB Trigger Point Massage Ball include sustained pressure to the iliacus muscle, tensor fascia late muscle, and piriformis muscle.
WHAT ARE TRIGGER POINTS?
Trigger points are focal, highly irritable spots on the body located in tight bands of muscle. These spots may produce pain at the site of the trigger point and in a referred pain pattern. One of the defining categories of a trigger point vs a tender point is that a trigger point will have pain that spreads or radiates, whereas a tender point will have pain specific to the site of touch. Trigger points are classified in two categories as being active or latent depending on the characteristics. An active trigger point causes pain at rest whereas a latent trigger point may present as a tight band of muscle with no pain. Trigger points are often caused by stress on the muscle fiber secondary to acute trauma or repetitive microtrauma. Trigger points in the neck can often lead to decreased range of motion, tension headaches, and temporomandibular joint pain.
HOW DO TRIGGER POINTS RELEASE?
All muscles in our body have the role of contracting and relaxing by way of chemically charging and discharging the fibers. A trigger point is a tight band of muscle that is stuck in a state of being contracted. One theory states that trigger points form from an excessive release of a chemical called acetylcholine, which is responsible for causing muscles to contract. In order to release a trigger point, sustained pressure is applied to the trigger point for anywhere from 30 to 120 seconds. This sustained pressure will lead to a twitch response, which is described as a transient visible or palpable contraction of the muscle. This contraction of the trigger point in theory is thought to release acetylcholine from the muscle to allow the muscle to relax.
BALANCE TRAINING EXERCISES FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS WITH AN AIREX PAD
Some helpful tips for addressing hip pain with an ORB Trigger Point Massage Ball include sustained pressure to the iliacus muscle, tensor fascia late muscle, and piriformis muscle,
- Iliacus muscle
- The iliacus muscle is a hip flexor located on the front of the hip.
- To target this muscle, lie down on your stomach with the ORB placed just to the middle of bony portion of the front of your pelvis. This area is referred to as the anterior superior iliac spine.
- Roll back and forth on the ball for 60 – 90 seconds and reassess how your hip feels afterwards.
- Tensor Fascia Late (TFL) muscle
- The TFL is a hip flexor, abductor, and internal rotator of the hip. The TFL also attaches onto an area of fascia called the Iliotibial Tract, otherwise known as the ITB. When the TFL is tight, this can lead to pain on the side of the hip all the way down to the outer knee due to the attachments to the ITB.
- To target this muscle, place the ORB on the outside of your hip in between the front and the back of the hip and lie down on your side.
- Roll back and forth on the ball for 60 – 90 seconds and reassess how your hip feels afterwards.
- Piriformis muscle
- The piriformis is an external rotator and abductor of the hip. It also plays a role in stabilizing the hip joint in the hip socket, also referred to as the acetabulum.
- To target this muscle, place the ORB midway between the sacrum (lower part of the back where the back meets the pelvis), and the gluteal fold (where your buttocks makes a crease mark).
- Roll back and forth on the ball for 60 – 90 seconds and reassess how your hip feels afterwards.
Rose Physical Therapy is here in Washington, DC to help!
If you are struggling with the exercises above or you have had unresolved hip pain for more than 2 weeks it’s probably time to give us a call to setup an appointment, or schedule through our website. Either our office in downtown Washington, DC between Dupont Circle and Farragut Square, or at our office in Navy Yard and Capitol Riverfront, just a few blocks from Capitol Hill DC has the best area physical therapists who are capable of getting you on the track to recovery. One-on-one appointments at Rose are about one-hour with a physical therapist, never a technician. And Rose Physical Therapy in Washington, DC accepts most private health insurance so that the best physical therapy is also affordable for you based on your insurance plan.