Introduction
Trigger point pain can be treated successfully. This type of pain can me mystifying for the average person. One can feel pain in a certain location. They poke and prod and try to find the area causing the pain but are unsuccessful.
Watch the video now to learn more about trigger point pain.
A simple example is someone who suffers from wrist pain. They visit a doctor, have everything checked out but all the Western tests show negative, for example Carpal Tunnel syndrome.
One reason for this could be that the pain is actually referral pain. It originates from an area away from the symptomatic region. It is stemming from a muscle in the shoulder that has a trigger point.
When I was a student, we all looked forward to the course that taught about trigger point pain. For good reason. This was a course that would become the bread and butter of a Massage Therapists professional work.
Trigger Points
Chronic pain can come from taut bands in muscles, that refer to other areas of the body. These are called trigger points. In everyday terms, people will call them “knots”. These knots have a predictable referral pain pattern. In fact there are trigger point charts that you have seen when you have visited a Massage Therapist.
Trigger points can occur from bad posture over time, as a reaction to an injury, for example a back injury. It can occur if a muscle is overworked without giving it much rest or lack of stretching.
Biomechanical issues such as pelvic muscular imbalances can also cause trigger points in muscles that attach to the pelvis and hips.
What are some common trigger points?
- The Upper Trapezius: This muscle is at the top of your shoulders and extends into the neck and head. Trigger points in this area can give you headaches to the temple.
- The Iliopsoas muscle: The Iliopsoas is the most powerful hip flexor in the body. It can refer pain to the lower back and into the top of the thigh.
- The Piriformis: If you have suffered through Piriformis syndrome, you know the pain and discomfort that can occur. This deep muscle in the buttock can cause pain down the leg, into the heel.
- Pectoralis Minor: This deep pectoral muscle can refer trigger point pain down the arm.
- Scalenes: This group of three muscles lie in the neck. It can refer pain down the arm also, into the shoulder blade and chest.
Treatment for Trigger points
The clinical mindset for trigger points is to first figure out what muscle has the trigger point. A therapist can identify the root of trigger point pain through palpation (using touch). They also use interviews and certain assessments.
Typically what will happen is that a muscle is palpated and a knot will be found. The knot is pressed and what usually occurs is that it mimics or exacerbates the patient’s pain. The patient will usually describe the pain referral pattern or state outright, “that is what I feel, when I get the pain!”
What happens next is that I will use pressure to push on the trigger point, manually stretching the muscle. The idea is to use techniques that will lengthen the muscle. This is because the muscle fiber is in a chronically shortened position. Other techniques include a literal stretch to other techniques that can lengthen the muscle.
In the initial phase of releasing the trigger point, the trigger point pain can spike. Once it hits it’s peak, the muscle usually relaxes and the pain starts to diminish. This can take from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes.
After treating the trigger point, heat and stretching is usually the home care advised.
Do you think you have trigger point pain? If you do, contact us and we can discuss the details of your condition and treatment for it.
More resources
Do you think you have trigger point pain? Learn more about scheduling an appointment with us. Do you have hip flexor trigger points? Here is a video from our Pain Relief Fitness site, vprc.ca.
