Author: Cathy Covell
Publisher: BalboaPress
ISBN: 1452589585
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 118
Book Description
This book is a great resource for anyone in the healthcare profession or anyone who facilities the healing process. It is especially helpful for body workers and therapists. It gives simple answers that can help both therapists and patients with their understanding of the healing process in general, and also helps with more specific questions about myofascial release. Some of the questions are: what is myofascial release? How is myofascial release different from other techniques? What can myofascial release help with? The answers given are simple, concise, and will help with an overall understanding of the healing process, which can then allow for faster and more significant results.
A Patient’s Guide to Understanding Myofascial Release
Author: Cathy Covell
Publisher: BalboaPress
ISBN: 1452589585
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 118
Book Description
This book is a great resource for anyone in the healthcare profession or anyone who facilities the healing process. It is especially helpful for body workers and therapists. It gives simple answers that can help both therapists and patients with their understanding of the healing process in general, and also helps with more specific questions about myofascial release. Some of the questions are: what is myofascial release? How is myofascial release different from other techniques? What can myofascial release help with? The answers given are simple, concise, and will help with an overall understanding of the healing process, which can then allow for faster and more significant results.
Publisher: BalboaPress
ISBN: 1452589585
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 118
Book Description
This book is a great resource for anyone in the healthcare profession or anyone who facilities the healing process. It is especially helpful for body workers and therapists. It gives simple answers that can help both therapists and patients with their understanding of the healing process in general, and also helps with more specific questions about myofascial release. Some of the questions are: what is myofascial release? How is myofascial release different from other techniques? What can myofascial release help with? The answers given are simple, concise, and will help with an overall understanding of the healing process, which can then allow for faster and more significant results.
Myofascial Release Therapy
Author: Michael J. Shea, Ph.D.
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1583948465
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
Michael Shea, one of the foremost experts on myofascial release, presents straightforward, practical instructions for dramatically releasing pain and restriction of motion in the body's fascia, muscles, and connective tissue. He introduces a soft tissue, hands-on approach for massage therapists, physical therapists, and other healthcare practitioners that reduces tension and stress in their clients' entire myofascial systems, as well as their musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. Therapists with little or no background in myofascial release and deep tissue reorganization can follow this book's easy guidelines in order to facilitate substantial orthopedic changes and pain reduction in their clients. Illustrated with 70 black and white photos, Myofascial Release Therapy includes an at-a-glance section that provides a step-by-step procedure for quick reference. Each photo is supplemented with instructions, as well as with arrows for easy reference in the clinic. This book provides the first integration of the verbal, visceral, and palpation skills of the therapist. It also includes work on the viscera as a way of integrating soft tissue work through the abdomen and pelvis. While manuals on the bones, muscles, and viscera have previously been divided into separate volumes, this book combines them into one. The author offers specific tools and protocols for helping patients "destructure" past somatic experience and reform it into something healthier. He illuminates the interconnectedness between bodies and their relationships to the outside world, including how sensations, feelings, and emotions are organized in the body and how they are coupled to meaning and memory. The result of many years of experience and knowledge, this book provides compelling evidence that myofascial release therapy encourages more rapid healing response of injured tissue.
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1583948465
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
Michael Shea, one of the foremost experts on myofascial release, presents straightforward, practical instructions for dramatically releasing pain and restriction of motion in the body's fascia, muscles, and connective tissue. He introduces a soft tissue, hands-on approach for massage therapists, physical therapists, and other healthcare practitioners that reduces tension and stress in their clients' entire myofascial systems, as well as their musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. Therapists with little or no background in myofascial release and deep tissue reorganization can follow this book's easy guidelines in order to facilitate substantial orthopedic changes and pain reduction in their clients. Illustrated with 70 black and white photos, Myofascial Release Therapy includes an at-a-glance section that provides a step-by-step procedure for quick reference. Each photo is supplemented with instructions, as well as with arrows for easy reference in the clinic. This book provides the first integration of the verbal, visceral, and palpation skills of the therapist. It also includes work on the viscera as a way of integrating soft tissue work through the abdomen and pelvis. While manuals on the bones, muscles, and viscera have previously been divided into separate volumes, this book combines them into one. The author offers specific tools and protocols for helping patients "destructure" past somatic experience and reform it into something healthier. He illuminates the interconnectedness between bodies and their relationships to the outside world, including how sensations, feelings, and emotions are organized in the body and how they are coupled to meaning and memory. The result of many years of experience and knowledge, this book provides compelling evidence that myofascial release therapy encourages more rapid healing response of injured tissue.
Myofascial Release
Author: Ruth Duncan
Publisher: Human Kinetics
ISBN: 1718200714
Category : Massage therapy
Languages : en
Pages : 250
Book Description
Myofascial Release, Second Edition, provides comprehensive training for hands-on therapists of all disciplines and at all levels to expand their practices. This scientifically grounded whole-body approach presents an overview of the entire fascial matrix
Publisher: Human Kinetics
ISBN: 1718200714
Category : Massage therapy
Languages : en
Pages : 250
Book Description
Myofascial Release, Second Edition, provides comprehensive training for hands-on therapists of all disciplines and at all levels to expand their practices. This scientifically grounded whole-body approach presents an overview of the entire fascial matrix
A Massage Therapist's Guide to Understanding, Locating and Treating Myofascial Trigger Points
Author: Leon Chaitow
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 0443102007
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 181
Book Description
Describing the background to the evolution of Rnon-specificS backache as well as the assessment and treatment methods ideal for use in combination with massage therapy, deriving from physical therapy, osteopathic, and chiropractic sources, this book describes these methods individually and then integrates them into a detailed description of a massage session focusing on the person with backache.
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 0443102007
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 181
Book Description
Describing the background to the evolution of Rnon-specificS backache as well as the assessment and treatment methods ideal for use in combination with massage therapy, deriving from physical therapy, osteopathic, and chiropractic sources, this book describes these methods individually and then integrates them into a detailed description of a massage session focusing on the person with backache.
Myofascial Release
Author: Ruth Duncan
Publisher: Human Kinetics
ISBN: 1492584487
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 232
Book Description
Myofascial Release provides comprehensive training for hands-on therapists of all disciplines and at all levels to expand their practice. From technique descriptions and their applications to client interactions and the preservation of practitioner strength and functionality, this guide teaches therapists every crucial aspect of employing myofascial release to its fullest benefit. This scientifically grounded whole-body approach presents an overview of the entire fascial matrix, the three-dimensional web of tissue that supports, encompasses, and protects every other structure in the body. The explanation of the anatomy and function of the connective tissue system gives practitioners the solid background needed for working most effectively with soft tissue to treat muscle injury, immobility, and pain. The book also outlines how myofascial release relates to other massage modalities in the Hands on Guides for Therapists series, ensuring therapists incorporate all of their skills to the greatest effect for their clients. Descriptions of over 60 myofascial techniques contain details on the timing, direction, and hold of each stretch as well as numerous photographs that illustrate the body and hand positions of each technique. Nuanced explanations of the unique feel of soft tissue, including the component of position of ease felt in the fascial drag, enhance the therapist’s palpation skills. The therapist learns how to apply the best approach—cross-hand releases, longitudinal plane releases, compression releases, and transverse plane releases—on specific injuries or issues and how to combine techniques to maximize their effectiveness. The text also contains home programs that clients can use themselves between treatment sessions. Myofascial Release provides an entire therapeutic approach as opposed to just the hands-on application that most books offer. Special features make this resource more effective and efficient for readers: • Full-color photos present a strong visual guide to employing each technique safely. • The photo index reference tool quickly points readers to the desired technique. • Therapist tips provide practical comments on applying the techniques. • Client talk boxes share the author’s experiences and insights on common situations. • Quick Questions at the end of each chapter test readers’ knowledge of material. Finally, the text offers insight on interacting with clients and ensuring their entire therapeutic experience is fulfilling. It covers the client consultation process, checking for contraindications and performing the visual assessment, how the client may respond to the treatment, and what the practitioner and client might feel and see during the process. Readers will come away from Myofascial Release with a holistic understanding of the approach and how to apply the principles to their practice. Myofascial Release is part of the Hands-On Guides for Therapists series, which features specific tools for assessment and treatment that fall well within the realm of massage therapists but may be useful for other body workers, such as osteopaths and fitness instructors. The guides include full-color instructional photographs, Tips sections that aid in adjusting massage techniques, Client Talk boxes that present ideas for creatively applying techniques for various types of clients, and questions for testing knowledge and skill.
Publisher: Human Kinetics
ISBN: 1492584487
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 232
Book Description
Myofascial Release provides comprehensive training for hands-on therapists of all disciplines and at all levels to expand their practice. From technique descriptions and their applications to client interactions and the preservation of practitioner strength and functionality, this guide teaches therapists every crucial aspect of employing myofascial release to its fullest benefit. This scientifically grounded whole-body approach presents an overview of the entire fascial matrix, the three-dimensional web of tissue that supports, encompasses, and protects every other structure in the body. The explanation of the anatomy and function of the connective tissue system gives practitioners the solid background needed for working most effectively with soft tissue to treat muscle injury, immobility, and pain. The book also outlines how myofascial release relates to other massage modalities in the Hands on Guides for Therapists series, ensuring therapists incorporate all of their skills to the greatest effect for their clients. Descriptions of over 60 myofascial techniques contain details on the timing, direction, and hold of each stretch as well as numerous photographs that illustrate the body and hand positions of each technique. Nuanced explanations of the unique feel of soft tissue, including the component of position of ease felt in the fascial drag, enhance the therapist’s palpation skills. The therapist learns how to apply the best approach—cross-hand releases, longitudinal plane releases, compression releases, and transverse plane releases—on specific injuries or issues and how to combine techniques to maximize their effectiveness. The text also contains home programs that clients can use themselves between treatment sessions. Myofascial Release provides an entire therapeutic approach as opposed to just the hands-on application that most books offer. Special features make this resource more effective and efficient for readers: • Full-color photos present a strong visual guide to employing each technique safely. • The photo index reference tool quickly points readers to the desired technique. • Therapist tips provide practical comments on applying the techniques. • Client talk boxes share the author’s experiences and insights on common situations. • Quick Questions at the end of each chapter test readers’ knowledge of material. Finally, the text offers insight on interacting with clients and ensuring their entire therapeutic experience is fulfilling. It covers the client consultation process, checking for contraindications and performing the visual assessment, how the client may respond to the treatment, and what the practitioner and client might feel and see during the process. Readers will come away from Myofascial Release with a holistic understanding of the approach and how to apply the principles to their practice. Myofascial Release is part of the Hands-On Guides for Therapists series, which features specific tools for assessment and treatment that fall well within the realm of massage therapists but may be useful for other body workers, such as osteopaths and fitness instructors. The guides include full-color instructional photographs, Tips sections that aid in adjusting massage techniques, Client Talk boxes that present ideas for creatively applying techniques for various types of clients, and questions for testing knowledge and skill.
A Therapist’S Guide to Understanding Myofascial Release
Author: Cathy Covell
Publisher: BalboaPress
ISBN: 1452589623
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
This book is a great resource for anyone in the healthcare profession or anyone who facilities the healing process. It is especially helpful for body workers and therapists. It gives simple answers that can help both therapists and patients with their understanding of the healing process in general, and also helps with more specific questions about myofascial release. Some of the questions are: what is myofascial release? How is myofascial release different from other techniques? What can myofascial release help with? The answers given are simple, concise, and will help with an overall understanding of the healing process, which can then allow for faster and more significant results. Cathy Covell lives what she writes. She is the Speak/Speech. Talks the Speak/Speech. Is the Speak/Speech. Feel your aliveness. Feel how much safer it is to feel your aliveness then to stay numb. Cathy Covell actually shows you how to do this.How to feel human and alive all at the same time. -Mary Ryan They are all great, must have books ! -Dan Betz Cathy's book has been vital to my healing journey. I have received Myofacial Release Therapy (MFR) for many years that has greatly benefited my health and kept me from disability retirement in my early 40's. Nevertheless, it was not until Cathy started writing her books explaining what Myofascial Release Therapy is in an honest, clear and fun way, that I started understanding the treatment and my role in the process. Since then my health has improved at a faster pace, the benefits of treatment at the clinic, or self treatment, are much greater than before, and the results are long lasting. Anyone receiving Myofascial Release Treatments will definitely benefit from reading Cathy's book, "Feeling Your Way Through" and "A Patient's Guide to Understanding Myofascial Release: Simple Answers to Frequently Asked Questions." -Mercedes Reaves We have been buying Cathy's books for a few years to sell here in the UK as they are a fantastic resource for both therapists and clients offering a wisdom of information and wealth of practical understanding to the John F Barnes approach to myofascial release. I would recommend these books to anyone interested in myofascial release as a therapy for pain and discomfort or as an adjunct to their learning experience from attending seminars. Cathy writes with both passion for the work as well as from her skill and expertise through her years of dedication to the approach, great books Cathy!! -Ruth Duncan Cathy does a wonderful job of conveying principles of myofascial release with books that are clear and profound. She does a great job of answering many of the questions that therapists and patients often have, and sharing great insights from her vast well of wisdom and experience. - Mary Winslow Cathy Covell's books are fantastic! She has a gift for brilliantly conveying information and wisdom in an easily digestible fashion. Her books have helped me as a therapist and as a patient. I give all of my new patients one of her books at their first visit at my wellness center. Bravo, Cathy! - Phil Tavolacci
Publisher: BalboaPress
ISBN: 1452589623
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 142
Book Description
This book is a great resource for anyone in the healthcare profession or anyone who facilities the healing process. It is especially helpful for body workers and therapists. It gives simple answers that can help both therapists and patients with their understanding of the healing process in general, and also helps with more specific questions about myofascial release. Some of the questions are: what is myofascial release? How is myofascial release different from other techniques? What can myofascial release help with? The answers given are simple, concise, and will help with an overall understanding of the healing process, which can then allow for faster and more significant results. Cathy Covell lives what she writes. She is the Speak/Speech. Talks the Speak/Speech. Is the Speak/Speech. Feel your aliveness. Feel how much safer it is to feel your aliveness then to stay numb. Cathy Covell actually shows you how to do this.How to feel human and alive all at the same time. -Mary Ryan They are all great, must have books ! -Dan Betz Cathy's book has been vital to my healing journey. I have received Myofacial Release Therapy (MFR) for many years that has greatly benefited my health and kept me from disability retirement in my early 40's. Nevertheless, it was not until Cathy started writing her books explaining what Myofascial Release Therapy is in an honest, clear and fun way, that I started understanding the treatment and my role in the process. Since then my health has improved at a faster pace, the benefits of treatment at the clinic, or self treatment, are much greater than before, and the results are long lasting. Anyone receiving Myofascial Release Treatments will definitely benefit from reading Cathy's book, "Feeling Your Way Through" and "A Patient's Guide to Understanding Myofascial Release: Simple Answers to Frequently Asked Questions." -Mercedes Reaves We have been buying Cathy's books for a few years to sell here in the UK as they are a fantastic resource for both therapists and clients offering a wisdom of information and wealth of practical understanding to the John F Barnes approach to myofascial release. I would recommend these books to anyone interested in myofascial release as a therapy for pain and discomfort or as an adjunct to their learning experience from attending seminars. Cathy writes with both passion for the work as well as from her skill and expertise through her years of dedication to the approach, great books Cathy!! -Ruth Duncan Cathy does a wonderful job of conveying principles of myofascial release with books that are clear and profound. She does a great job of answering many of the questions that therapists and patients often have, and sharing great insights from her vast well of wisdom and experience. - Mary Winslow Cathy Covell's books are fantastic! She has a gift for brilliantly conveying information and wisdom in an easily digestible fashion. Her books have helped me as a therapist and as a patient. I give all of my new patients one of her books at their first visit at my wellness center. Bravo, Cathy! - Phil Tavolacci
Direct Release Myofascial Technique
Author: Michael Stanborough
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 204
Book Description
Direct Release Myofascial Technique provides a highly illustrated guide to direct release myofascial techniques (MFR) and their application in clinical practice. MFR is a manual therapy method that influences both a body's structural tissues and the sensory/motor systems. Originally developed by Dr Ida Rolf, the creator of the Rolfing? method, the approach has since been adapted and modified by different groups of therapists to fit within their own particular philosophies. This book strips away the surrounding theories and philosophies and focuses on the safe and appropriate use of the techniques themselves. Numerous photographs supplement the detailed, step-by-step coverage of techniques.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 204
Book Description
Direct Release Myofascial Technique provides a highly illustrated guide to direct release myofascial techniques (MFR) and their application in clinical practice. MFR is a manual therapy method that influences both a body's structural tissues and the sensory/motor systems. Originally developed by Dr Ida Rolf, the creator of the Rolfing? method, the approach has since been adapted and modified by different groups of therapists to fit within their own particular philosophies. This book strips away the surrounding theories and philosophies and focuses on the safe and appropriate use of the techniques themselves. Numerous photographs supplement the detailed, step-by-step coverage of techniques.
Freeing Emotions and Energy Through Myofascial Release
Author: Noah Karrasch
Publisher: Singing Dragon
ISBN: 1848190859
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Book Description
Written for bodywork and manual therapy practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines, as well as other healers who want to expand their skills, this generously illustrated book explains how and where emotions and static energy are held in the body, and how they can be released and rebalanced in therapies that challenge bodymindcore awareness
Publisher: Singing Dragon
ISBN: 1848190859
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 228
Book Description
Written for bodywork and manual therapy practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines, as well as other healers who want to expand their skills, this generously illustrated book explains how and where emotions and static energy are held in the body, and how they can be released and rebalanced in therapies that challenge bodymindcore awareness
The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook
Author: Clair Davies
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
ISBN: 1608824969
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 866
Book Description
Trigger point therapy is one of the fastest-growing and most effective pain therapies in the world. Medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists are all beginning to use this technique to relieve patients’ formerly undiagnosable muscle and joint pain, both conditions that studies have shown to be the cause of nearly 25 percent of all doctor visits. This book addresses the problem of myofascial trigger points—tiny contraction knots that develop in a muscle when it is injured or overworked. Restricted circulation and lack of oxygen in these points cause referred pain. Massage of the trigger is the safest, most natural, and most effective form of pain therapy. Trigger points create pain throughout the body in predictable patterns characteristic to each muscle, producing discomfort ranging from mild to severe. Trigger point massage increases circulation and oxygenation in the area and often produces instant relief. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, Third Edition, has made a huge impact among health professionals and the public alike, becoming an overnight classic in the field of pain relief. This edition includes a new chapter by the now deceased author, Clair Davies’ daughter, Amber Davies, who is passionate about continuing her father’s legacy. The new edition also includes postural assessments and muscle tests, an illustrated index of symptoms, and clinical technique drawings and descriptions to assist both practitioners and regular readers in assessing and treating trigger points. If you have ever suffered from, or have treated someone who suffers from myofascial trigger point pain, this is a must-have book.
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
ISBN: 1608824969
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 866
Book Description
Trigger point therapy is one of the fastest-growing and most effective pain therapies in the world. Medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists are all beginning to use this technique to relieve patients’ formerly undiagnosable muscle and joint pain, both conditions that studies have shown to be the cause of nearly 25 percent of all doctor visits. This book addresses the problem of myofascial trigger points—tiny contraction knots that develop in a muscle when it is injured or overworked. Restricted circulation and lack of oxygen in these points cause referred pain. Massage of the trigger is the safest, most natural, and most effective form of pain therapy. Trigger points create pain throughout the body in predictable patterns characteristic to each muscle, producing discomfort ranging from mild to severe. Trigger point massage increases circulation and oxygenation in the area and often produces instant relief. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, Third Edition, has made a huge impact among health professionals and the public alike, becoming an overnight classic in the field of pain relief. This edition includes a new chapter by the now deceased author, Clair Davies’ daughter, Amber Davies, who is passionate about continuing her father’s legacy. The new edition also includes postural assessments and muscle tests, an illustrated index of symptoms, and clinical technique drawings and descriptions to assist both practitioners and regular readers in assessing and treating trigger points. If you have ever suffered from, or have treated someone who suffers from myofascial trigger point pain, this is a must-have book.
Healing through Trigger Point Therapy
Author: Devin J. Starlanyl
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 158394625X
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
This book is about empowerment for chronic pain patients and care providers alike. Every chronic pain condition has a treatable myofascial trigger point component, including fibromyalgia. Many of the localized symptoms now considered as fibromyalgia are actually due to trigger points. The central sensitization of fibromyalgia amplifies symptoms that trigger points cause, and this book teaches care providers and patients how to identify and treat those causes. Chronic myofascial pain due to trigger points can be body-wide, and can cause or maintain fibromyalgia central sensitization. Trigger points can cause and/or maintain or contribute to many types of pain and dysfunction, including numbness and tingling, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, osteoarthritis, cognitive dysfunctions and disorientation, impotence, incontinence, loss of voice, pelvic pain, muscle weakness, menstrual pain, TMJ dysfunction, shortness of breath, and many symptoms attributed to old age or "atypical" or psychological sources. Trigger point therapy has been around for decades, but only recently have trigger points been imaged at the Mayo Clinic and National Institutes of Health. Their ubiquity and importance is only now being recognized. Devin Starlanyl is a medically trained chronic myofascial pain and fibromyalgia researcher and educator, as well as a patient with both of these conditions. She has provided chronic pain education and support to thousands of patients and care providers around the world for decades. John Sharkey is a physiologist with more than twenty-seven years of anatomy experience, and the director of a myofascial pain facility. Together they have written a comprehensive reference to trigger point treatment to help patients with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and many other conditions. This guide will be useful for all types of doctors, nurses, therapists, bodyworkers, and lay people, facilitating communication between care providers and patients and empowering patients who now struggle with all kinds of misunderstood and unexplained symptoms. Part 1 explains what trigger points are and how they generate symptoms, refer pain and other symptoms to other parts of the body, and create a downward spiral of dysfunction. The authors look at the interconnection between fibromyalgia and myofascial trigger points and their possible causes and symptoms; identify stressors that perpetuate trigger points such as poor posture, poor breathing habits, nutritional inadequacies, lack of sleep, and environmental and psychological factors; and provide a list of over one hundred pain symptoms and their most common corresponding trigger point sources. Part 2 describes the sites of trigger points and their referral patterns within each region of the body, and provides pain relief solutions for fibromyalgia and trigger point patients and others with debilitating symptoms. Pain treatment plans include both self-help remedies for the patient—stretching or postural exercises, self-massage techniques and prevention strategies—as well as diagnostic and treatment hints for care providers. Part 3 offers guidance for both patients and care providers in history taking, examination, and palpation skills, as well as treatment options. It offers a vision for the future that includes early assessment, adequate medical training, prevention of fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, changes to chronic pain management and possible solutions to the health care crisis, and a healthier version of our middle age and golden years, asserting that patients have a vital role to play in the management of their own health.
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 158394625X
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
This book is about empowerment for chronic pain patients and care providers alike. Every chronic pain condition has a treatable myofascial trigger point component, including fibromyalgia. Many of the localized symptoms now considered as fibromyalgia are actually due to trigger points. The central sensitization of fibromyalgia amplifies symptoms that trigger points cause, and this book teaches care providers and patients how to identify and treat those causes. Chronic myofascial pain due to trigger points can be body-wide, and can cause or maintain fibromyalgia central sensitization. Trigger points can cause and/or maintain or contribute to many types of pain and dysfunction, including numbness and tingling, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, osteoarthritis, cognitive dysfunctions and disorientation, impotence, incontinence, loss of voice, pelvic pain, muscle weakness, menstrual pain, TMJ dysfunction, shortness of breath, and many symptoms attributed to old age or "atypical" or psychological sources. Trigger point therapy has been around for decades, but only recently have trigger points been imaged at the Mayo Clinic and National Institutes of Health. Their ubiquity and importance is only now being recognized. Devin Starlanyl is a medically trained chronic myofascial pain and fibromyalgia researcher and educator, as well as a patient with both of these conditions. She has provided chronic pain education and support to thousands of patients and care providers around the world for decades. John Sharkey is a physiologist with more than twenty-seven years of anatomy experience, and the director of a myofascial pain facility. Together they have written a comprehensive reference to trigger point treatment to help patients with fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, and many other conditions. This guide will be useful for all types of doctors, nurses, therapists, bodyworkers, and lay people, facilitating communication between care providers and patients and empowering patients who now struggle with all kinds of misunderstood and unexplained symptoms. Part 1 explains what trigger points are and how they generate symptoms, refer pain and other symptoms to other parts of the body, and create a downward spiral of dysfunction. The authors look at the interconnection between fibromyalgia and myofascial trigger points and their possible causes and symptoms; identify stressors that perpetuate trigger points such as poor posture, poor breathing habits, nutritional inadequacies, lack of sleep, and environmental and psychological factors; and provide a list of over one hundred pain symptoms and their most common corresponding trigger point sources. Part 2 describes the sites of trigger points and their referral patterns within each region of the body, and provides pain relief solutions for fibromyalgia and trigger point patients and others with debilitating symptoms. Pain treatment plans include both self-help remedies for the patient—stretching or postural exercises, self-massage techniques and prevention strategies—as well as diagnostic and treatment hints for care providers. Part 3 offers guidance for both patients and care providers in history taking, examination, and palpation skills, as well as treatment options. It offers a vision for the future that includes early assessment, adequate medical training, prevention of fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, changes to chronic pain management and possible solutions to the health care crisis, and a healthier version of our middle age and golden years, asserting that patients have a vital role to play in the management of their own health.