Table of Contents
- How People Describe This Pain Pattern
- How You Activate and Intensify This Pain Pattern
- Self-Care – Getting Relief on Your Own
- Musculoskeletal Anatomy Behind Your Pain
- Therapy Notes for Massage and Bodywork
How People Describe This Pain Pattern
Band over Hips
These people complain of a band of pain across the top of their hips. As usual, I ask them to be specific. Is it all the way across your hips? Is it a small strip in the middle? Several patterns in this area produce similar pain patterns. They open their fingers a few inches and, using both hands, trace a pattern of pain across the low back that extends across the sacrum and over the top of the hips.
Simple Test
Then, I run a little test. First, I have them stroke an ice cube over the lower abdomen, just above the pubic bone. Next, I have the patient lie back on the table to stretch their abdomen open. Then, they let it close. I have them repeat this stretch a few times. They are often surprised by the relief.
How You Activate and Intensify This Pain Pattern
Stretched Abdomen
Often, these people have some stress to their rectus abdominus from exercise, weight gain, surgery, motor vehicle accident, etc.
I find that these older clients often have bloating or recent weight gain. Sometimes, that comes from intestinal distress or constipation. Naturally, it is common to see this after holidays, weddings, or bar mitzvahs where the participant is active and over-eats.
Overworked Abs
Additionally, this trigger point can get aggravated by over-exercising the abdomen in the more active bodies. Typically, the culprit is crunches, leg lifts, or other abdominal work. However, I have also seen this aggravated by cycling or rowing.
Occasionally, this irritation follows an accident that twists the pelvis. Often, this creates back problems that perpetuate the trigger point. In that case, back treatment is indicated. However, I still treat this rectus abdominus directly.
The Musculoskeletal Anatomy Behind Your Pain
Musculoskeletal Anatomy
This post on anatomy contains standard information about the origin, insertion, function, and innervation of muscles. Additionally, it includes information on functional considerations and anomalies.
Find Related Posts
Anatomy posts have a grid of all related posts. This includes posts on pain patterns, self-care, therapy notes, NMT protocols, cranial techniques, and cases.
Getting Relief on Your Own
Clinically Proven
Self-Care Strategies
Self-Care Posts have common sections to make them easy to follow and understand:
- Activities to Avoid or Change
- Strategies for Quick Relief
- Stretches and Exercise for Longer-Lasting Relief
- Yoga Corner
Therapy Notes for Massage and Bodywork
Better Bodywork
Through Shared Expertise
Therapy Notes provide details for cranial, spinal, and local joint work. These notes also link to a traditional neuromuscular protocol.
By treating integrative components first, direct work on the muscle becomes less intense while providing longer-lasting relief.
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Tony Preston has a practice in Atlanta, Georgia, where he sees clients. He has written materials and instructed classes since the mid-90s. This includes anatomy, trigger points, cranial, and neuromuscular.
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*This site is undergoing significant changes. We are reformatting and expanding the posts to make them easier to read. The result will also be more accessible and include more patterns with better self-care. Meanwhile, there may be formatting, content presentation, and readability inconsistencies. Until we get older posts updated, please excuse our mess.