First, massage may be necessary because trigger points do not seem to respond to exercise.
It is unlikely that a therapist will give enough massage to obtain optimum results. Trigger points require frequent attention. A therapist might not provide much attention to the pubic region.
Using a tennis ball or a lacrosse ball, one can self massage large areas of the body. Much of the back can be done by placing a ball in a long sock and leaning against a wall---
WARNING: one can dent a wall pressing the low back against a lacrosse ball, at least sheet rock (most household walls) is not strong enough for that.
Trigger points?
These are usually small regions of muscle that contract and stay that way. They become very sensitive. Massage reduces the sensitivity. Trigger point experts claim that they cause mysterious pains elsewhere in the body and that it's best to rub them six to twelve times a day.
General Techniques:
Leaning against a ball between you and a wall as mentioned above can be used for areas from near the waist to the shoulders.
It�s easy to overlook the area by the ribs near the arm pit. This area can also be worked by hand with a pair of gardening gloves. You can extend your reach by pulling on your elbow with the opposite hand. Regular attention to this area may reduce ticklishness.
It takes practice to get the area around the shoulder blades. (back to using the ball) Exploration may yield several sensitive spots in unexpected places.
CAUTION: One can get carried away trying obtain optimum pressure angles and perhaps fall over doing this. The idea is to press on the most sensitive spots for the experience of so called �good pain�.
The ball can also be used on the back by laying on top of it. Consider warming the area up with the tennis ball and then switching to the lacrosse ball.
You have to experiment with positioning of the arms and legs to find the most comfortable position to apply the most uncomfortable pressure that can be tolerated. Example: for the low back, bend the knees and place the feet close to the torso. Use the elbows on the floor to hold the upper body weight. The hands can help move the ball around or help move the torso.
Loose fitting clothing can be a problem, especially when working the area between the knees and the waist. Try wearing tight long underwear or a leotard for this. A towel on the floor may be more comfortable than bare carpet.
If there is low back pain, or hip pain, this area (upper legs to waist) needs a lot of attention. Don�t be shy about sitting on the balls or turning over and laying on them using them to rub the pubic region. Fingers work there too (gardening gloves). If you get a mind to use your gardening gloves around your rear end, remember to be wearing some underwear so you don�t soil your gloves.
Much of the back can be reached by hand with the use of finely beaded brown gardening gloves, the beads give you a better grip..
The inside of the thigh can be worked with the ball in hand. Sit on floor, straighten leg, use opposite leg to apply pressure to elbow. (keep hand in line with forearm to reduce wrist strain). Start near the knee. Switch to lacrosse ball as you move higher. Use fingers on upper inner leg.
A company sells a massage ball for $25 and some more expensive tools. A short video of the use of their products is included. They make the expensive tools look easier to use than they actually are.
TPMassageball.com
This book seems to be the authority on trigger points:
Trigger Point Massage Therapy Workbook
The trigger point people focus on pressing individual spots. They can be found by exploration (they feel sensitive). The Workbook shows lots of places where they might be also, but is likely not a complete catalogue.
Pressing against the ball and moving around helps to find sensitive spots. There may be large sensitive regions which don't seem to be "points". Rubbing may be helpfull, observation over time will tell if rubbing is effective.
Extended sitting seems to be bad for the hip/low back region. To reduce hip pain, a trick is to wrap a scarf around the knees so the muscles don't have to work to keep the legs from spreading. Probably best not to force the knees too close together. Ergonomic experts say a good chair for extended sitting should have a back that gives. The End