They are small nodules of varying size within the muscle fiber, tiny but they can be responsible for much pain in the body. Compression of a trigger point may elicit local tenderness, referred pain, or local twitch response. The local twitch response is not the same as a muscle spasm. This is because a muscle spasm refers to the entire muscle contracting whereas the local twitch response also refers to the entire muscle but only involves a small twitch, no contraction.

A TrP is an area of a muscle that has contracted taut bands (sacromeres) and stagnant swampy muscle tissue.

What is Referred Pain?

A TrP can radiate pain from its location to surrounding areas of the body, in a defined pattern. It is not unusual for the pain to originate from a location away from the TrP, This can appear as an odd phenomenon – ‘a stimulated trigger point referring pain at some distance from its origin’.

TrPs are extremely common and become a painful part of nearly everyone’s life at one time or another. Latent TrPs which often cause stiffness and restricted range of motion without pain are far more common than the active trigger points, which in addition cause pain.

What are the causes of Trigger Points?

Some causes

• Injury
• Muscle fatigue
• Postural
• Lifestyle factors

Treatment

During my treatment I will recognise the pain patterns and identify the trigger points responsible. The goal is not only to relieve pain but increase movement and function of the once dysfunctional muscle

Reference

I refer you to one of my resources – page 2 of The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies and Amber Davies.

‘The daily clinical experience of thousands of massage therapists, physical therapists, and physicians strongly indicates that most of our common aches and pains – and many other puzzling physical complaints – are actually caused by trigger points, or small contraction knots , in the muscle of the body’.