What is a Trigger Point?
Trigger Points (TP’s) are defined as a “hyper-irritable spot within a taut band of skeletal muscle. The spot is painful on compression and can evoke characteristic referred pain and autonomic phenomena.”1
Put into plain language, a TP is a painful knot in muscle tissue that can refer pain to other areas of the body. You have probably felt the characteristic achy pain and stiffness that TP’s produce at some time in your life.
The subscapularis can harbor up to three trigger points, with the two most common occurring near the outside edge of the muscle. … Referred pain from trigger points in the subscapularis muscle concentrates in the posterior shoulder region, with spillover into shoulder blade region and down the back of the upper arm.
The Brachioradialis muscle is a muscle located in your forearm. It helps to flex the elbow during semi pronation, such as when drinking a cup of coffee or holding a phone to your ear. When trigger points form in this muscle pain can be felt in the forearm, back of the elbow, and even into the hand.
Myofascial pain syndrome is caused by a stimulus, such as muscle tightness, that sets off trigger points in your muscles. Factors that may increase your risk of muscle
trigger points include:
Sensitive areas of tight muscle fibers can form in your muscles after injuries or overuse. These sensitive areas are called trigger points. A trigger point in a muscle can cause strain and pain throughout the muscle. When this pain persists and worsens, doctors call it myofascial pain syndrome.
Myofascial pain syndrome is a chronic pain disorder. In this condition, pressure on sensitive points in your muscles (trigger points) causes pain in the muscle and sometimes in seemingly unrelated parts of your body. This is called referred pain.
This syndrome typically occurs after a muscle has been contracted repetitively. This can be caused by repetitive motions used in jobs or hobbies or by stress-related muscle tension.
Trigger points don’t just form in muscles. Any soft tissue or connective tissue can become damaged and develop trigger points. Once a trigger point has formed it will produce a large variety of painful symptoms. Visit http://www.aberdeenchiropractic.com for more information on trigger points and trigger point massage therapy.
Massage therapy isn’t just about relaxation. Myofascial pain is one of the most common causes of pain and dysfunction in the body. Massage therapists are are the myofascial pain experts!!
the serratus anterior muscle is located on the side of the trunk. It attaches onto the ribs and the scapulae. This muscle assists in scapular motion and stability as well as assisting the movement of the ribs. Trigger points can form in this muscle due to poor shoulder posture. Once formed, these points will cause pain to be felt in the side, under the armpit, and down the inside of the arm. Once formed trigger points will not release on their own, they require a manual technique such as trigger point massage.
Aberdeen Chiropractic 