It is a rather technical book and you really cannot do the trigger points very easily yourself. Quite complicated to figure out just where they are. I was unable to use the book for my sciatica poblem as could not really find the trigger points. Maybe someone more advanced in the human body would be better able to use the techniques described in the book. Definitly not for a novice.

I have been suffering with heel pain for several years. I was about to go in for my third cortisone shot and my podiatrist was talking surgery. I also sit at a desk all day and have shoulder pain. This book has relieved me of the heel pain and I am working on back. I highly recommend buying a theracane and a knobble and I happened to have a cd rom called BodyWorks it shows in 3D detail all the muscles in the entire body it helped me locate alot of the muscles and understand their correlation to the areas she talks about in the book.

In short, this book provides an excellent reference for those looking to efficiently apply self massage techniques using trigger point therapy. The information presented is invaluable, especially for those of us who simply don't have the money or time to seek consistent massage therapy from an "expert". In fact, Claire Davies allows the simple layman to become an expert at learning about his or her own body and how to fix our own musculature.

For those few reviewers who indicated that this was too advanced as far as terminology (especially the author with an IQ over 160) - don't feel bad, maybe learning about your body isn't your cup of tea. But don't blame the book - the book is well written and well diagrammed that anyone can quickly learn and apply the techniques with little to moderate effort. You don't have to learn what the muscles are named, just refer to the diagrams and be willing to explore your own body to find them!

Bottom line, if you are expecting overnight success or pain elimination, then you may or may not be disappointed, everyone is different. However, if you are looking for a cheap and effective long term solution, this might be what you have been seeking.

I was very much amazed at finding anyone who had read, and tried finding relief for their pain by actually doing the trigger point massage, rating this wonderful book and gift from the Davies' with anything less than five stars! I am not a medical student, therapist, or paid agent for the Davies' --just a regular guy who had been told that the only certain thing in his life would be disability unless I opted for further surgery. With four foot operations, two knee operations and looking at a hip replacement (yes, I was in pretty bad shape) I finally decided to see what other options were available.
Investigating various sources, some which I paid dearly for (money and time wise) finally lead me to the Davies' book. Remember that I was in PRETTY BAD SHAPE! And all I wanted to know for sure was whether what my doctor's had told me, was absolutely true. So I ordered the book and looking through it, was impressed with the layman's format --simple drawings, simple guide lines, and not-so-simple medical terms. But then what do you call that big muscle in your leg, IF NOT BY ITS NAME? So I made up my mind that if I needed to learn what my body parts were called, and the Davies' did an EXCELLENT job by including how to pronounce the terms, just so I could relieve my pain then I would commit to the task at hand.
Folks, it was the best day of my life when I made that decision. OK, maybe the second best day of my life, because discovering the day that the trigger point therapy ACTUALLY worked and allowed me to reclaim my health was the very best day of my life! I can truly say this because before trigger point I had no life!
You cannot imagine what emotional and spiritual pain accompanies physical pain, unless you've lived it. But then you don't have to imagine it, if you've LIVED it! And this is happening to MILLIONS if not BILLIONS of folks all around the world! People feel lost and scared when they are told there is no relief for their pain.
Does it take work to reclaim your health? Of course it does. But the alternative is to give up, and throwing in the towel just isn't REALLY anyone's cup of tea. Folks give up because they don't know that there is more, much more, than what they've been told. Give this book a try, I MEAN REALLY. Don't get hung up on the medical terms, or the black and white drawings, or that you will need to read the WHOLE book. Do yourself a favor, do the rest of humanity a favor (I found out when you are useless to yourself, you are also useless to all of those around you) and empower yourself with the knowledge that the Davies' have made available to us.
By the way, I need to express my sincerest thanks to the Davies' for gifting us this knowledge, not only at the lowest price (EVERYTHING else I tried, came out to over $57,000 --yes, that's thousands of dollars; not counting the surgeries) but also with the "no gimmicks attached" approach which I translate to "human decency". Not only has my health been restored (I have only missed two days of work in two years) but my faith in humanity has been restored as well. Having lived the fact: "although your health is not everything, without it you have nothing" ... I recommend this book without reservation, for its importance in helping to heal pain. I wish all of you the opportunity to reclaim your health, so you may live healthy, loving and purposeful lives.

I was very much amazed at finding anyone who had read, and tried finding relief for their pain by actually doing the trigger point massage, rating this wonderful book and gift from the Davies' with anything less than five stars! I am not a medical student, therapist, or paid agent for the Davies' --just a regular guy who had been told that the only certain thing in his life would be disability unless I opted for further surgery. With four foot operations, two knee operations and looking at a hip replacement (yes, I was in pretty bad shape) I finally decided to see what other options were available.
Investigating various sources, some which I paid dearly for (money and time wise) finally lead me to the Davies' book. Remember that I was in PRETTY BAD SHAPE! And all I wanted to know for sure was whether what my doctor's had told me, was absolutely true. So I ordered the book and looking through it, was impressed with the layman's format --simple drawings, simple guide lines, and not-so-simple medical terms. But then what do you call that big muscle in your leg, IF NOT BY ITS NAME? So I made up my mind that if I needed to learn what my body parts were called (and the Davies' did an EXCELLENT job by including how to pronounce the terms), just so I could relieve my pain, then I would commit to the task at hand.
Folks, it was the best day of my life when I made that decision. OK, maybe the second best day of my life, because discovering the day that the trigger point therapy ACTUALLY worked and allowed me to reclaim my health was the very best day of my life! I can truly say this because before trigger point I had no life!
You cannot imagine what emotional and spiritual pain accompanies physical pain, unless you've lived it. But then you don't have to imagine it, if you've LIVED it! And this is happening to MILLIONS if not BILLIONS of folks all around the world! People feel lost and scared when they are told there is no relief for their pain.
Does it take work to reclaim your health? Of course it does. But the alternative is to give up, and throwing in the towel just isn't REALLY anyone's cup of tea. Folks give up because they don't know that there is more, much more, than what they've been told. Give this book a try, I MEAN REALLY. Don't get hung up on the medical terms, or the black and white drawings, or that you will need to read the WHOLE book. Do yourself a favor, do the rest of humanity a favor (I found out when you are useless to yourself, you are also useless to all of those around you) and empower yourself with the knowledge that the Davies' have made available to us.
By the way, I need to express my sincerest thanks to the Davies' for gifting us this knowledge, not only at the lowest price (EVERYTHING else I tried, came out to over $57,000 --yes, that's thousands of dollars; not counting the surgeries) but also with the "no gimmicks attached" approach which I translate to "human decency". Not only has my health been restored (I have only missed two days of work in two years) but my faith in humanity has been restored as well. Having lived the fact: "although your health is not everything, without it you have nothing" ... I recommend this book without reservation, for its importance in helping to heal pain. I wish all of you the opportunity to reclaim your health, so you may live healthy, loving and purposeful lives.

I was suffering from lower back pain and sciatica for nearly a year before purchasing this book. Chiropractic care did not help. I was sent to have steroid injections done which were of no help either. Finally I went through a spinal decompression series which offered some relief. The most relief I got was from this book. After months of my muscles doing overtime I had developed several trigger points. I started seeing real relief just a few days after following the guidelines in this book. I would encourage anyone suffering from pain to refer to this book before undergoing surgery or paying for expensive physical therapy treatments.

I have only read about one third of this book but have already applied some of Mr. Davies techniques. They work so well that I am eager to continue reading and self-massaging. He has unlocked several mysteries to years of pain. So true what he has to say about the ignorance of physicians on the subject of myofascial problems. I also enjoyed reading about Mr. Davies history--why and how he came to this subject. I thank him for sharing this with us!

After having neck problems for years, I thought I'd give this a try. There really is something to this cause it took away the pain immediately! I usually have to wait to go to a massage therapist, but no more waiting I just use these trigger points and am relieved right away. It even worked on my husband, he couldn't believe it, as he is quite a skeptic himself. Very grateful for this book!

The book was written with too many medical terms for a layman like me to be able to easily grasp many of the methods. I am sure if I were better educated I would be able to benefit more from the instructions.

This book highlights a lot of things you just never consider. The only drawback is that the massaging is difficult to do yourself, but if you can get a massage therapist (or husband!)to get the right spots then it is worth it. I have not been able to keep up with the massages daily as suggested- but when I do them ,I have to admit I feel better. I have stiff fingers and the book points out this is radiating from my neck and forearms. To work on yourself is hard though-

Wonderful book! Great guide to those with pain, especially chronic pain. Davis and his daughter give easy to follow instructions. Excellent descriptions of referred pain and how to care for yourself. Highly recommnended. The book was in top shape...brand new!

Worth every penny. It takes a little practice to get some of the techniques just right but the payoff is great.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572243759/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

This book is well written, is easy to understand and gives ways for the non professional to locate the trigger points. Excellent book.

I think this book isnt so detailed and i miss better pictures. As for trigger points, i would like to have a good real body pictures, which could help much more. the information is only basic.
i expected more than i found in that book.

I had severe pain in my neck and shoulder blade for eight miserable months. I had been through two unsuccessful rounds of physical therapy, had been prescribed every painkiller under the sun, and had even had steriod injections. Doctors, specialists, and physical therapists could not get to the root of my problem. The concept of a "trigger point" was never even mentioned by them. I stumbled upon this book during a desperate search for ANYTHING else that might help me. Although I had doubts, I began doing the self-massage as Mr. Davies described. To my joyous surprise, I was noticably better by the end of the FIRST DAY. By the end of the first week, my pain was gone. Mr. Davies does a wonderful job of explaining what trigger points are and how to treat them. This book saved my sanity. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

It is an easy read and he gets to the point (so to speak) pretty quickly. Once past the intro, you will breeze through areas of the body starting with the most troublesome. I couldn't and wouldn't put it down until I got to the part about necks because I had such a bad headache and it helped before I went to sleep that night. If you are a chronic pain sufferer and nothing else has helped, look no further. Silly as it sounds, it has changed my life.

This book gives an explanation for the trigger points and pain. It is carefully backed by medical resources and explanations that doctors and therapists will thorougly understand. My complaint, and thus 3 stars, is that when you are in deep pain, the last thing you want to, is read all the medical terms and trying to go from one page to a far out other, looking for which trigger point is causing pain. As the book says it is geared to giving ourselves the trigger point relief, it should at least have an Appendix-like summary with all trigger points related to, for example wrist pain, another for arm pain, neck pain, etc., and without the need to go several pages and read so much detail and medical mumbo-jumbo. Remember, we are in pain! But I congratulate the authors for the thorough explanations that one can read while not in such pain. I recommend you buy the Thera-cane, and read the instructions as an instant resource, backed by this book, which I do recommend.

This is a great book to ensure a successful session for future clients. I've really enjoyed the precise way the authors have described the point of trigger vs pain. I have used the methods and have had satisfied clientele. Advance workshop for trigger is also highly recommended, you will not put this book down.

as a long-time sufferer of soft and connective tissue injuries (computers no less), this book is amazing. I just got it this week, read over the introduction... quite wonderful, really. It breaks down the body into separate parts, and then goes into each section, and each muscle which may have trigger points -- and most importantly, it shows you where the referred pain from that trigger point may manifest, which as injured people know is often different from where the trigger point actually is.

very highly recommended! This book will allow you to start to heal yourself. You do have to heal yourself, because in 12 years I've only found one doctor, and one physical therapist, who actually knew what the heck was happening with me -- THEY DON'T KNOW.

you have to be your own doctor -- this book will help take you there.

I've had this book just a week, together with a thera-cane. I ordered both because of pain in my shoulder, and I was very pleased with the quick and easy relief I got by working the first two sets of trigger points suggested for the area where I had pain. I did a little more work on my neck and shoulders, and was amazed to have my chronic stiff neck ease up, and quite unexpectedly, to have my horrible tinnitus quiet down to an acceptable level. The bad news is that I kept pushing away aggressively, mashing muscles in search of permanent relief for my tinnitus and the pain associated with a brachial plexus injury from birth 50+ years ago. One week later, I have deep bruises on my shoulders and upper back, and my neck and jaw are sore. I look and feel like I've been in a bad wreck. Given that many of us who buy books like this are in serious pain and would do just about anything to get relief, more warnings about working gently and not overdoing it would be a good thing. If you are careful and gentle and focus on one area at a time, this can be a very helpful book. It's organized pretty well to help you find the area where you hurt and discover the corresponding trigger points. But be careful and don't get carried away. Stroke your muscles, don't crush them. Listen to your body's pain, and work with it, not against it.

I was unable to walk for any length of time due to Plantar Fasciitis in my left foot. In addition I had a shooting pain up the side of my left ankle on every step. None of the following helped: supportive shoes, orthotics (OTC or custom), stretching, icing, NSAIDs, cortisone shots, 2 podiatrists, 1 physical therapist.

I got this book and applied the techniques. Within a few weeks the classic PF pain was gone but I still had the shooting pain up the ankle. That pain was caused by trigger points in the Peroneus muscles. It took some time to locate them as they were very small and located under tendons, etc. I can now walk 18 holes of golf. I threw away all of my orthotics as they didn't help me for 2 years. I go barefoot whenever I want. I monitor these trigger points and apply massage as needed. If you are older and have a chronic problem you will find that there is no quick fix. You will have to apply these techniques indefinitely although less frequently to make sure they do not return. But what a tool to lead a more pain free life!

I also have a problem with irregular heartbeat that was helped by inactivating the cardiac arrhythmia point. Recently I started having episodes of belching which brought on the irregular heartbeat. I alleviated the belching by working on the upper abdominal trigger points.

In addition to the PF and irregular heartbeat, the technique enabled me to raise my arms above my head and pull of a tight jacket, reduced my chronic back pain, helped my golfer's elbow and relieved the tightness in my fingers which was caused by trigger points in my forearms.

As with anything, you will get as much out of it as you put into it. I tell anyone who will listen to buy this wonderful book.

I also recommend the Knobble II. I use this everyday. It really saves the hands. I also use the Body Back Buddy for my back. I have not had too much success with the ball against the wall.

You might get some bruises at first from overly enthusiastic application of the massage but it is a small price to pay for the pain relief and you will learn how much pressure to apply over time.

The best book I have ever read. I think everyone should have a copy of this fantastic book. It helped me soo much.
It has detailed pictures of the muscles, why they come into trouble, examples of people with problems, various tools and ways to massage yourself. You fee like a professional massage therapist after you have read it.

TOPS!!!

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, Second Edition
We ordered two of these books and they came in excellent contition. Thank you.

I struggled with pain in my lower back and could not find any doctors that could help me figure out why it moved around on my body. One day it would be in my lower back, then I would work it out with exercise and massage and it would gradually work down my right quad. I eventually started getting knots in my quad muscles and not knowing what to do, just googled "knots in quads" and found this book. This has been the answer to all my pains. I have been able to locate the trigger points and massage the pain away on my own. I never would have thought I could even understand this book when I ordered it, but it is very easy to read and understand. I know that I can look forward to a painfree life now that I have the therapy for me. I have recommended this book to several people and they are thrilled with it as well.

this is one book every massage therapist must own. My school and teacher recomended it and I agree it is very helpful.

I have written a review of this book before, but 3+ yrs. down the road it's still a life saver for me. I had frozen shoulder from painting inside my house (several rooms) and recently used the book to resolve the problem. I find myself referring back to it for myself and for others with pain, suggesting they see a dr. or massage therapist or try the tennis ball against the wall (helps when it's in a sock so you don't drop it). I LOVE THIS BOOK. Can't say enough. It's saved my sanity during years of arthritic problems (beginning at only 30) and ongoing pain. Read it, use it, keep it at-hand...you'll be glad you did.

See my review of the companion book, "The Frozen Shoulder Workbook" by the same authors.

A great book! Along with the theracane(which you don't really need to use it) my back and neck have finally had some relief.
If you are not sure you want to buy it, then check it from your near by library or interlibrary loan, and I guarantee you will end up purchasing it like I did. It is worth every penny and frequently refer to it again and again.

This book has helped me a lot. I am able to reduce pain and muscle tightness through the use of the techniques in this book. It's also going to save me a lot of money on visits to massage therapists. I recommend this book very highly.

I am thrilled with the new version. There is a completely new chapter in this book that details a trigger point massage routine. As a professional therapist I can take this book along and go step by step through the routine. It is a great place to start when you don't know what to do first.

My experience is very much like the authors... I struggled with very painful tennis elbow for several months, and doc said the only options were anti-inflammatories, cortisone shots, or surgery. I didn't like any of those options, and out of desperation visited a massage therapist at my health club. Fortunately the therapist had studied trigger points and shared enough knowledge with me to make me dangerous. After that visit and one more day of me poking around on my arm, the elbow pain was gone, like someone loosened the vise. I found several of them above, below, and in the elbow. The newly unlocked muscles were pretty weak, but after just two weeks of trigger point therapy, light weights and stretching, they are fully recovered. I bought the book and a thera-cane to assist with my crusade against trigger points. Can't wait to give doc the bad news.

This book is the answer to pain. I was able to find the sources of my neck, head, chest and foot pains. The exercises to massage the corresponding trigger points are easy and highly effective. With many of them I feel immediate relief! If I was a millionaire I'd buy a copy of this book for every person I run into that complains of pain.

This is a tremendous resource for people in pain. After having tried many natural remedies for my shoulder pain, this program is the best. Glucosamine while it helped, did not totally alleviate the pain. Magnet therapy helped for awhile, but eventually made the pain worse. Chiropractic treatments, which used trigger point therapy worked for a time, but then my knots would return and cause pain. I didn't know the importance of at least six times a day massaging your central trigger points until the knots are gone.

"The Trigger Point Therapy Wookbook" has excellent information on the muscles. It also has excellent charts which help you locate specific trigger points (knots in your muscles) which cause pain. It tells you how to message those painful areas to get rid of the knots in your muscles. While the information is thorough, it is written for the lay person in an understandable way.

You can have central trigger points, which are located in the belly of the muscle that hurts. You can also have satellite trigger points in the pain referral zone of another muscle and attachment trigger points in your tendons where your muscles connect to your bones. While your trigger points will never be on opposite sides of your body, they can travel the length of one side of the body. Satellite and attachemnt trigger points are secondary trigger points. Even though they can be very painful, especially attachment trigger points, they can right themselves. Not so with central trigger points. You can get the secondary trigger points out, but not deal with the pain unless you deal with the central trigger points.

I highly recommend a Thera Cane, which is like having very long, totally mobile arms, which enable you to message hard to reach trigger points. While the book and Thera Cane may seem expensive, they are much cheaper than repeated Chiropractic visits.

Also, working on your posutre is important in permanent pain relief. "The New Rules of Posture" is the best book I've found on the subject. For people with shoulder pain, I recommend the stretches in the book, "Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff." You will want to hold off on the stretches until you have first dealth with you trigger points and alleviated the pain.

I very much like the authors outlook on health. The visualization exercises found at the boo's end to relax you muscles are excllent. As do many other readers, I higlhly recommend this excellent book.

This is a tremendous resource for people in pain. After having tried many natural remedies for my shoulder pain, this program is the best. Glucosamine while it helped, did not totally alleviate the pain. Magnet therapy helped for awhile, but eventually made the pain worse. Chiropractic treatments, which used trigger point therapy worked for a time, but then my knots would return and cause pain. I didn't know the importance of at least six times a day massaging your central trigger points.

"The Trigger Point Therapy Wookbook" has excellent information on the muscles. It also has excellent charts which help you locate specific trigger points (knots in your muscles) which cause pain. It tells you how to message those painful areas to get rid of the knots in your muscles. While the information is thorough, it is written for the lay person in an understandable way.

You can have central trigger points, which are located in the belly of the muscle that hurts. You can also have satellite trigger points in the pain referral zone of another muscle and attachment trigger points in your tendons where your muscles connect to your bones. While your trigger points will never be on opposite sides of your body, they can travel the length of one side of the body. Satellite and attachemnt trigger points are secondary trigger points. Even though they can be very painful, especially attachment trigger points, they can right themselves. Not so with central trigger points. You can get the secondary trigger points out, but not deal with the pain unless you deal with the central trigger points.

I highly recommend a Thera Cane, which is like having very long, totally mobile arms, which enable you to message hard to reach trigger points. While the book and Thera Cane may seem expensive, they are much cheaper than repeated Chiropractic visits.

Also, working on your posutre is important in permanent pain relief. "The New Rules of Posture" is the best book I've found on the subject. For people with shoulder pain, I recommend the stretches in the book, "Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff." You will want to hold off on the stretches until you have first dealth with you trigger points and alleviated the pain.

I very much like the authors outlook on health. The visualization exercises found at the boo's end to relax you muscles are excllent. As do many other readers, I higlhly recommend this excellent book.

This is a tremendous resource for people in pain. After having tried many natural remedies for my shoulder pain, this program is the best. Glucosamine while it helped, did not totally alleviate the pain. Magnet therapy helped for awhile, but eventually made the pain worse. Chiropractic treatments, which used trigger point therapy worked for a time, but then my knots would return and cause pain. I didn't know the importance of at least six times a day massaging your central trigger points.

"The Trigger Point Therapy Wookbook" has excellent information on the muscles. It also has excellent charts which help you locate specific trigger point (knots in your muscles) which cause pain. It tells you how to message those painful areas to get rid of the knots in your muscles. While the information is therough, it is written for the lay person in an understandable way.

You can have central trigger points, which are located in the belly of the muscle that hurts. You can also have satellite trigger points in the pain referral zone of another muscle and attachment trigger points in your tendons where your muscles connects to your bones. While your trigger points will never be on opposite sides of your body, they can travel the length of one side of the body. Satellite and attachemnt trigger points are secondary trigger points. Even though they can be very painful, especially attachment trigger points, they can right themselves. Not so with central trigger points. You can get the secondary trigger points out, but not deal with the pain unless you deal with the central trigger points.

I highly recommend a Thera Cane, which is like a second pair of hands that enables you to message hard to reach trigger points. While the book and Thera Cane may seem expensive, they are much cheaper than repeated Chiropractic visits.

Also, working on your posutre is important in permanent pain relief. "The New Rules of Posture" is the best book I've found on the subject. For people with shoulder pain, I recommend the stretches in the book, "Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff." You will want to hold off on the stretches until you have first dealth with you trigger points and alleviated the pain.

I very much like the authors outlook on health. The visualization exercises found at the boo's end to relax you muscles are excllent. As do many other readers, I higlhly recommend this excellent book.

This book has great illustrations and explanations. It covers a very wide range of problems and what and where to work on them. I am very glad I purchased it.

Well, ive had numbness in my hand that ran up my forearm behind my back and up my neck into my eye. I was handicaped and as an artist couldnt even draw like I used to. Once I started following the trigger points simple instructions with the guide of the illustrations,
I found and deactivated over 5 trigger points. Now I can safely say I AM PAIN FREE!

This was toooo esoteric - Some of it even contradictory. The author(s) were very informative and knowledgeable, but did not compile this writing in a way that was very usable for the average lay person. I read all of the introductory pages and then referred to different sections. I found it so cumbersome to try and apply that I finally reverted back to my favorite acupressure book, "Acupresssure's Potent Points" by Michael Reed Gach. That I give 5 stars.

The Trigger point therapy workbook approaches and goes indepth on a fairly unusual subject: how to cure yourself and others from pain. While it doesn't offer any "miracle" solutions, it explains in a very easy to understand way just how to take care of your body by manipulating trigger points and working pain out. This is great for beginners and apparently it's quite good for practiced massage therapists and such fields.

I bought myself a copy, then my dad wanted one too. It's great for beginners or people who have tried self-massage before but need more direction.

Best purchase of my life. I have struggled with severe foot problems for the last 18 months. Spent thousands of dollars on orthotics and physical therapy. Doctors wanted to treat the symptoms......which in this case was foot pain.

Through this book I realized that my foot pain was coming from problems with my hips (piriformis syndrome). Once I figured it out I was able to treat the problems and noticed marked improvement in the first 24 hours.

This book is a real life saver!!!

I highly recommend this book if you have a continued nagging pain and have been unsuccessfull finding relief. This book is an excellent Compliment to Physical Therapy for severe pain, but is a Practical Guide to some of the smaller nagging pains we experience.

I had suffered with Plantar Faciatus and then Achilles Tendonitis for most of 2007. Staying off my feet wasn't an option. Expensive Orthodics proved useless. After leaving 1 podiatrist that initiated an MRI of my ankles, and responded with - "just years of stress, call me if you need anything", I sought a different podiatrist.

The new podiatrist sent me to Physical Therapy for 1 foot, while I had a stress fracture on the other. In a few weeks time I noticed remarkable improvement. I continued with the exercises, but still had some issues with tight calf muscles. So I did more research on my own, and came across this book.

The techniques in the book point out that when we have stiff and or tight muscles, they may need some extra work to loosen up. Frequent proffesional Massage is costly while these techniques you can do YOURSELF. I can finally walk WITHOUT my feet and ankles aching. I have also gotten rid of that nagging stiff neck I had for months(years actually), and never found much relief from. I had what I called "computer mouse shoulder" where muscles in my upper back ached all the time...NOT ANY MORE!!!!!!!

The author does not attempt to replace proffesional treatment when required, but due to his own experience with LACK of help by professionals, and his own research, study, and massage mastering, he has provided a simple, easy to follow guide to loosen tight muscles that are causing mild to severe pain to parts of your body. I only wish I would have found this book years ago!!!!!

A lot of reading....to find your target area to treat.
Good for over all information.

THIS BOOK IS WELL WRITTEN AND EXPLAINS ALL THE TRIGGER POINTS IN DETAIL. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE.

Claire Davies is an extraordinary individual who passed away last year. His work has made available to anyone with pain, a means to relieve it through your own effort. Personally, I had knee pain which was healed by focusing on the trigger point in my thigh muscle.

This book is amazing. It is well-written, simple, and very effective. It is medically-based, and it works!

I really like these pain self-treatment books- not because I suffer with chronic pain (although I do have my share of the normal daily aches and pains), but because each one seems to have such a specific theory of why pain persists (see my review of "Pain Free").

Anyway, this book's premise is that pain is caused by "trigger points" which are essentially irritable spots in the muscle. This book has many pictures in it that will show you where all the common trigger points are located in your body that might be causing your pain. So, for example, if you have back pain, the book will show you where the "trigger points" are in the back, and then you can start your own self-treatment- which consists of doing things such as massaging and rubbing them out. The book details various massaging techniques you can use.

A most interesting book with a little science behind it, I feel that this book will probably work best on people who have a lot of muscular pain. Readers with shoulder pain might also be interested in Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff.

As a massage therapist I have studied Travell & Simons' Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction-The Trigger Point Manual. I also keep it close by in my
office. Clair Davies in 'The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook' has made it
simple for someone who has not studied A&P to be able to relieve trigger points. I suggest that my clients purchase the book so they can 'work' on their muscles in between treatments in my office.
It is well written and illustrated. It can serve as a very useful tool for the muscle pain-sufferer and therapist alike.

After crippling pain in my feet for over 1 1/2 years, I can say that I am on the road to recovery. I had lyme disease and it resulted in my muscles becoming very tight and knotted. This knots, known as triggers, caused me so much pain that I came very close to renting a wheelchair this fall so I could continue my job as an elementary school teacher. After 3 days of working on my trigger points as directed in this book, I was able to give up all my perscription pain meds (which really didn't help much). On day four,(today) I cleaned my house for 2 hours almost completely pain free - for the first time in over a year!!!! It is also helping my back, hands and arms. THANK YOU CLAIR DAVIES!!!!!

Every person should have this book to one releive pain and two to integrate the incredible knowledge it passes about how our musco-skeletal system really works. After this therapy you can avoid needless operations and drugs. Based on the work of Dr. Janet Travell, physician to President John F. Kennedy and Astrophysicist Dr. Simon. A must have, you can do it book.
Thanks you for your attention.