Do Trigger Points Always Refer Pain?

An active trigger point is a knot of muscle that is

extremely tender and causes local or regional referred pain

What does trigger point referred pain feel like?

Referred pain is pain that is felt in an area other then where it is caused. Unfortunately, trigger points can cause referred pain, which may feel

dull or achy in areas close

to the trigger point. In addition to referred pain, trigger points may cause numbness, tingling, weakness, or false heart pain.

Should trigger points hurt?

Trigger points feel like little marbles or knots just under your skin. When pressing on trigger points,

many people feel no pain or discomfort

. Sometimes, trigger points become very sensitive, and some people feel significant pain in areas where they have trigger points.

Can trigger points be chronic?

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.

What does a trigger point feel like?

Trigger points are a characteristic of myofascial pain syndrome. They are

tight knots or bands of muscle that are painful to touch

. They can also cause referred pain, muscle spasms, and weakness. Referred pain means that trigger points send pain to other parts of the body.

How do you break up a muscle knot?

1. Rest. Allow your body to rest if you have muscle knots. …
2. Stretch. …
3. Exercise. …
4. Hot and cold therapy. …
5. Use a muscle rub. …
6. Trigger point pressure release. …
7. Physical therapy.

Why do trigger points cause referred pain?

When muscles are stressed or injured, they often form tender “trigger points” that feel like dense tight knots in the muscle tissue.

Pressure on a trigger point causes the muscle fibers to shorten and be painful to the touch

. And this can send “referred pain” radiating out to other areas of the body.

What happens when you massage a trigger point?

The objective of trigger point therapy is releasing or softening a muscle knot to reduce (or eliminate) the knot pain and associated pain. This release happens by

applying various levels of pressure to muscle knots, and then stretching the affected areas through a complete range of motion

.

Do trigger points ever go away?

These bumps—known as trigger points—usually go away with manual adjustment. But sometimes, they can become impossible to remove no matter how many self-massage tricks or stretches you try.

Your trigger points may not go away on their own

, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with them forever.

Why do I have so many trigger points?

Most points occur because of

muscle overuse

, muscle trauma (injury), or psychological stress. Trigger points often arise from sustained repetitive activities, like lifting heavy objects at work or working on a computer all day. No single factor is responsible for the development of myofascial trigger points.

Why do trigger points keep coming back?

The main reasons trigger points keep coming back is

because they usually never really go

. Courses of trigger point therapy are only designed to temporarily relieve their pain, not eliminate them.

Do trigger points show up on MRI?

Trigger points do not show up on X-ray

, CT, or MRI. They can’t be detected with a blood test. Trigger points are diagnosed by feeling for them. Trigger points can not be cured with the traditional approach of muscle relaxers, anti-depressants, or pain pills.

How long should you press on a trigger point?

Maintain the pressure for

30 to 90 seconds

or until you feel the tissue release or soften. The client will often describe a decrease in symptoms as the point releases. Ninety second holds produce the best results but 30 seconds is sufficient to produce a change.

How can trigger points be resolved?

Various modalities, such as the Spray and Stretch technique,

ultrasonography, manipulative therapy and injection

, are used to inactivate trigger points. Trigger-point injection has been shown to be one of the most effective treatment modalities to inactivate trigger points and provide prompt relief of symptoms.

How do I know what trigger points to release?

1. Find the tight spots (odds are you won’t have to look too hard).
2. Use your fingers (or tools like foam rollers and massage balls) to press firmly into the trigger points.
3. Repeat for three to five minutes, ideally as often as five or six times per day.

How do you release a trigger point?

The original way is through trigger point release which involves

using a squeeze grip or a tool where direct pressure on the trigger point for 30

-120 seconds according to research can release and soften a nodule, once released the muscle tissue needs to be moved throughout its full range of motion, which is why your …