Customer Reviews

The Frozen Shoulder Workbook: Trigger Point Therapy for Overcoming Pain and Regaining Range of Motion

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a massage therapist I see many clients whom "conventional" medicine has failed, who were tired of taking pain medication. Myofascial pain can be seem mysterious and there is a very high rate of misdiagnoses. For anyone who has suffered from shoulder pain the often contradictory information out there about prognosis and treatment can be bewildering. I tell my clients that they must become their own advocates, learning as much about their anatomy as possible and becoming experts on specialized areas of medicine that their doctors might not have time to research thoroughly. This is easier said than done, however, as most of us don't have the time or resources to find and sift through available studies and alternatives.

That's what makes this book so great. It delivers a succinct explanation of the anatomy in question along with effective techniques that can be easily applied easily at home. (By the way don't confuse this with other treatments...Trigger Point Therapy is not "Pressure Point Therapy." Trigger Point Therapy is a scientifically rigorous paradigm.)

In my practice I use Trigger Point Therapy to alleviate chronic pain of all kinds and have used it often to assist in the rehabilitation of `frozen shoulder.' I used to spend many unpaid hours drawing little sketches describing some of these techniques so that my clients could help themselves between their visits to me. Now I can simply refer them to this thorough and effective book which has many techniques I didn't know of myself.
It is a fantastic resource and I recommend it to anyone suffering shoulder pain (you'll give it two thumbs way because you'll have your range of motion back)as well as to Massage Therapists, and Physical Therapists and, of course, Doctors.

This techniques are so different than what Physical Therapy teaches.Yet they work! I have used the principles taught in this book to my own convenience at home and on the road.Without the major pain of Doctor or Therapy visits.So far I have at least 70 percent of the mobility back in my arm and shoulder.A frozen shoulder is not a joyful thing to have.Its very painful and was keeping me from all sports.Its been about 7-8 weeks now.The problem is that I only use these techniques once every other day.I would probably be cured if I applied them 2-3 times a day.And my arm was terrible.I could not lift my arm but waist high.And man was it painful!But this book has allowed me to moan and groan at home and to go at my own pace.Its saved me a lot of time it would have taken to run to therapy 3 times a week.Ands its saved me money.Gas,co-payments,etc.Buy this book! You won't regret it! Its been a blessing to me!

I had tried everything to relieve my impossible shoulder pain. The trigger point method must be tried to be appreciated. When it came to the point where regular massage was making me worse instead of better, I went looking for an answer. A friend suggested the trigger point method becuase she got relief from a lifelong problem with her neck. I purchased both books in the hope I could relieve enough pain to be able to have mobility again. This book gave me all the information I needed to help myself feel a whole lot better...as well as compliment my other therapies.I would definately recommend it to anyone who has been unable to deal with muscular pain in a meaningful effective way. Try it, it works.

I KNEW MY SHOULDER AND ARM WAS IN TROUBLE, BUT MY DOCTOR DIDN'T SUBSCRIBE ANY KIND OF THERAPY, JUST MEDICATION. I HAD TROUBLE SLEEPING, BECAUSE WHEN I MOVED I WOULD EXPERIENCE PAIN, THEN COULDN'T SLEEP. HE FINALLY GAVE ME A TIMED RELEASED PAIN PILL FOR SLEEP, WHICH HELPED, BUT I WAS STILL IN TROUBLE. THEN I HEARED ABOUT TRIGGER POINT THERAPY, AND FOUND A MASSAGE THERAPIST WHO KNEW SPECIALIZED IN 'TRIGGER POINT'. I WAS EXCITED!
I NOW HAVE THIS FABULOUS BOOK WHICH HELPS ME, THE PATIENT, TO DO SELF TREATMENT, AS WELL AS DESCRIBING HOW THE THERAPIST CAN DO THEIR WORK. THE ILLUSTRATIONS WERE WONDERFUL TOO ! I'VE HAD FIVE TREATMENTS SO FAR, AND NOW I CAN ALSO HELP MYSELF TOO ! MY RANGE OF MOTION HAS IMPROVED AND WITH TIME,I HOPE I WILL BE PERFECT AGAIN ! THANK YOU CLAIR DAVIES !!! SINCERELY, NARILYN

I would like to tell you how the Frozen Shoulder Workbook helped me overcome a painful but common illness with no surgery or manipulation under anesthesia. I found relief!
This past spring I fell while carrying a folding chair and bruised my ribs. Due to the rib pain I stopped my daily stretching and swimming. I was also under a lot of stress at work. The rib healed but I began to have arm pain on reaching down. One time when plugging in a power cord I had shooting pains in my shoulder and arm. (ten on a 1 to 10 pain scale) I returned to swimming and found it to be painful so I went to my primary doctor. She said it was bursitis and gave me an anti-inflammation drug and sent we to physical therapy. It got worse and my shoulder froze up. PT was no help and the pain got worse. X-rays showed a normal joint when I went to a shoulder specialist. He said it was bursitis and possible tendonitis. He gave me a cortisone shot in the shoulder and a prescription for a shoulder MRI, if it didn't resolve itself in a week. No relief from the shot and the MRI would have cost me US $195 out of pocket so I looked for an alternate plan. I went to a Chiropractor and I sent off for this book. The Chiropractor told me I should have come to him sooner before the shoulder froze up. I could not lift my arm over my head, work was very difficult and nighttime required sleeping pills and painkillers. My neck muscles on that side where very tight and the scapula (shoulder blade) was not moving. (I learned that the scapula must rotate 30 degrees for the arm to reach over the head completely.) Clair Davies book is excellent, I began using his techniques to massage my tight neck, chest, shoulder, and arm muscles. The first thing to improve was the pain. I found a great massage therapist to help me and the Chiropractor worked to free up the shoulder joint capsule by stretching after 15 minutes of icing the shoulder . The Trigger Point Therapy truly works if you follow this books instruction carefully. Work through chapter 5 and 6, massage with the book open. It is not an easy path but your diligent self-treatment will pay off (there are 24 muscles that help the shoulder move). Stay positive, work on standing up strait and reducing stress. Today I was able to hang from a chin up bar and pain is almost gone. I have resumed swimming and next week I will begin upper body strengthening exercises. One tip not in the book is that I suggest is to rest your shoulder completely one day per week, the following day you will see improved range of motion from the relaxed trigger points. Good Luck!

Having had a frozen shoulder several years ago and successfully using the treatments described in this book, my shoulder was 100% within 2 months with no recurring issues. I fortunately was treated by the author's daughter Amber Davies and followed the principles from the author's first book, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. Having read this book as well, it is an excellent resource for anyone with shoulder problems and focuses on shoulder related issues. The author has given anyone the ability to self-treat shoulder issues related to trigger points and keep the shoulder healthy by also covering preventative maintenance methods and therapies.

Clair Davies wrote this guide as a follow-up to the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. Although the title suggests a focus on frozen shoulder, it seems that Clair thought it wise to include some of the extra material that didn't fit in his first book. Other readers have noticed the depth of detail and encyclopedic reach of this book. Many have been frustrated by that, expecting to find a simple how-to guide that helps with their painful shoulder problem.

That information is in here. You just have to wade through it. If you give it the time, and practice what you see, the benefits are enormous, profound and far exceed your effort.

Clair Davies was a genius. Both his books are excellent and together they form a body of knowledge more people should be familiar with. More doctors and physiotherapists need to study these books. Both are essential in your home medical library.

As a victim of frozen shoulder, I am familiar with the confusion and concern that accompanies the disease. Most people with frozen shoulder are misdiagnosed at first, told they have tendonitis, bursitis, rotator cuff damage, or impingement, until the shoulder actually freezes up several months into the disease. Then they are poorly advised, instructed about invisible "adhesions", blamed for their problem, told scary stories how they could permanently lose their flexibility, and then tortured with unnecessary stretching or worse, violent medical procedures that tear the shoulder joint to make it loose. Crazy stuff in this day and age. Patient beware.

Scientific and rational advice like the kind Clair Davies laid out here will help you through your pain. So will the faith that your illness will go away as mysteriously as it appeared, without any intervention at all. In most cases, you can simply ride your frozen shoulder out.

Clair Davies was your friend. Buy his books.

This book is easy to read and most importantly it is easy to incorporate the recommended techniques into your existing bodywork.
I am a massage therapist but I think non therapists would find it useful/helpful also.

I plan to use it often!!

The author's own frozen shoulder condition led him to study trigger points, which eventually led to his popular book TRIGGER POINT THERAPY WORKBOOK. To be more specific, Frozen Shoulder Workbook addresses all points particular to this condition, using the basic principles of the other manual to promote trigger point therapy as a formula for lasting relief, unlike the injections and painkillers traditional medicine uses. An excellent guide to lasting recovery.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I bought this book to help me treat my frozen shoulder. While the book probably offers some useful information, there's TOO MUCH OF IT. I'm in pain, just tell me what to do . . . to have to read through page after page after page to figure out what is relevant to my condition is overwhelming to me. I wish the author had kept the book, I don't know, more simple.