

It is well documented in Asian cultures that traditional healers would therapeutically treat sore spots with manual therapy or acupuncture needles, one example is ASHI (ah yes!) points, a central tenant in acupuncture for over two thousand years. This 5300 year old preserved body gives insight into ancient medical practices, as it is believed that these tattoos represent an early form of therapeutic treatment similar to acupuncture used to treat low back and knee pain ( Kean et al., 2013 Zink et al., 2019). This frozen body has 61 tattoos that correspond to myofascial trigger points and traditional acupuncture points that are commonly utilized to treat musculoskeletal pain. One of the oldest examples on record is a 5,300 year old naturally preserved human body discovered in the Tyrolean Alps of Austria called Otzi “The Iceman”. The concept of sore spots that can be leveraged for therapeutic purposes have been independently discovered by several different cultures in Europe, Africa and Asia. All DGSA courses have the Swiss EduQua quality certificate.9 Myofascial Triggerpoints Myofascial Trigger Points Convergent Thinking and Myofascial Trigger points

Our courses are offered worldwide and in several languages. We place an emphasis on a high didactical level and profound knowledge and safety. With decades of clinical practice, teaching experience and continuous scientific research, the international DGSA instructor team passes on these efficient treatment techniques to other physiotherapists and medical doctors worldwide through high qulaity courses. Therapists who specialize in Dry Needling and Manual Trigger Point Therapy can be found on the DGSA website by clicking on find a therapist. The objectives of Dry Needling and Manual Trigger Point Therapy are to resolve and enable the sustained relief of muscle pain and contraction as well as to resolve fascia adhesions, which may be contributing factors to back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, heel pain and other musculoskeletal and myofascial pain syndromes. It continues to set the relevant standards on this topic. Simons Academy, DGSA® has been one of the pioneers in the development and promotion of Dry Needling and Manual Trigger Point Therapy since 1995. To this day, he will remain for many people as a very unique and outstanding person.ĭry Needling and Manual Trigger Point Therapy Courses – A Better Quality of Life for Your Patients Simons continued to work on the 3rd edition of the Trigger Point Manual and on a book on climate change, until he passed away on April 5, 2010. Simons and Travell are now internationally recognized as two of the pioneers in musculoskeletal medicine. He is considered to be one of the most highly respected scientists in this field internationally, and has received an honorary doctorate from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in 2005. Simons also has over 200 publications on trigger points and the treatment of chronic pain. This book was a breakthrough in the understanding of muscle pain, combining evidence with clinical practice. Siegfried Mense, published "Muscle Pain: Understanding its Nature, Diagnosis and Treatment ".

Their intense collaboration led to the publication of the "Trigger Point Manual" in 1983, which was the first compendium on the diagnosis and treatment of myofascial pain. Simons was so impressed by Travell and her findings, that he decided to work with her. In 1960, Dr Janet Travell MD, held a lecture on myofascial pain and trigger points at the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. Simons later worked for the Veterans Administration, where he developed research programs in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
