Travell when she lectured at the School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas in the 1960’s. Simons started out his career as an aerospace physician, and met Dr. She continued to work into her 90’s, and died at the age of 95 on August 1, 1997.ĭr. She resigned a year and a half later to return to her passion for teaching, lecturing, and writing about chronic myofascial pain. Travell became the first female White House physician, and after President Kennedy died, she stayed on to treat President Johnson. Being on crutches probably would have cost President John F. This was at a time when television was bringing images of politicians into the nation’s living rooms, and it had become important for presidential candidates to appear physically fit. Kennedy, who at the time was using crutches due to crippling back pain, and almost unable to walk down three stairs. In her private practice, she began treating Senator John F. She joined her father’s practice, taught at Cornell University Medical College, and pioneered and researched new pain treatments, including trigger point injections. She initially specialized in cardiology but soon became interested in pain relief, as had her father. Travell was born in 1901, and followed in her father’s footsteps to become a doctor. Travell and Jeanne Aland have passed on, but I know that I and all my patients are eternally grateful for their hard work and dedication, and their work lives on through the hundreds of thousands of patients who have gotten relief because of their research and willingness to train others.ĭr. David Simons, and my Neuromuscular Therapy instructor, Jeanne Aland, who introduced me to the books written by Dr.’s Travell and Simons.īoth Dr. This website would not have been possible without the life works of Dr. Thankfully, there are a few pioneers who worked endlessly to research trigger points, document referral patterns and other symptoms, and bring that information to medical practitioners and the general public. Although 30% of patients seen in a general physician’s practice are there due to pain caused by trigger points, 1 there is still very little emphasis in medical school on muscle pain and trigger points. Approximately 38% of the human population is in pain at any given time.

Travell and simons criteria