What are Trigger Points?
A trigger point is a hyperirritable spot within a taut band of skeletal muscle, located within the muscular tissue and/or its associated fascia. When trying to find a trigger point (either yourself or your physical therapist), it will present as the area along the taut muscular band where the tenderness is greatest.
They can cause:
Referred pain, tenderness, and even autonomic responses such as visual disturbances, redness and tearing of the eyes, vestibular disturbances, special perception disturbances, reduction in local vascular activity, and skin temperature changes.
Where are they?
Most common sites of trigger point development are areas with increased mechanical strain or impaired circulation likely due to physical activities or postural stressors. The most commonly affects muscles are the sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, levator scapulae, infraspinatus, thoracolumbar paraspinals, quadratus lumborum, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus.
Why are they bad?
They cause both stiffness and weakness of the affected muscle and restrict the muscle’s full range of motion, motor control, and strength/power.
You may not realize that trigger points could be the cause of your pain or mobility dysfunction.
I want to take a bit of time to discuss the phenomenon of referred pain from a trigger point. If you are a past or current patient of mine, you know all about trigger points and how much I stress the need to address them in your plan of care.
The picture above is demonstrating a common referred pain pattern for a trigger point in the Infraspinatus muscle. Trigger points in the muscle will typically refer pain deep in the anterior (front) deltoid region and shoulder joint, extending down to the front and lateral (side) arts of the arm and even into the forearm and hand.
As you can see, the source and site of pain are not always the same.
I have seen pain and dysfunction caused by trigger points in this particular muscle (Infraspinatus) commonly misdiagnosed as Biceps Tendonitis. The patient will be treated for Biceps Tendonitis, and wonder why their pain has not gotten any better.
If unfamiliar with the presence and behavior of trigger points, a trigger point in the Upper Trapezius or Suboccipital muscles could be misdiagnosed as a migraine, one in the Gluteus Minimus could be misdiagnosed as Sciatica or IT Band Syndrome, and the list could go on for a while.
If you have any questions, or you think that your pain might be caused by a trigger point, contact Plus Forte today!
Email: courtney@plusforte.co
Phone: 978-590-6951
