Trigger Points
This is just a brief introductory discussion on the subject of trigger points.
So what on earth is a trigger point, you ask?
Good question. Maybe you are more familiar with someone saying that they’re all knotted up, or that they’ve got some nasty knots between their shoulder blades. These knots that people are referring to are called trigger points by the medical folks, and they can be real trouble.
A trigger point is officially described as a tight band of ropy muscle fiber, typically being hyper irritable, and exhibiting a number of characteristic symptoms. When compressed, these TPs can make the muscle twitch, cause “goosebumps”, and will tend to create a characteristic pattern of pain.
TPs restrict a muscle’s ability to extend to its full proper length. They also weaken the muscle and cause it to fatigue far quicker than it normally would.
These devious trouble makers can even lead to the misdiagnosis of their host’s true medical problem. That’s because many TPs will cause symptoms that don’t seem to be in any way related to the muscle that’s the real source of the problem. So a patient goes to see their GP with a complaint of dizziness, digestive problems, a toothache, or even symptoms suggesting a possible heart attack. The doctor has no reason to suspect that this problem stems from a malfunctioning muscle and so naturally interprets the symptoms for the malady that seems indicated, not realizing that the real root of the problem is one of these sly little mimics. The good news for those that may have had this happen is that the TP is readily treatable, and usually much less serious than what the misleading symptoms were indicating.
Any one of the body’s 600+ muscles can potentiallyhave a trigger point and the characteristics of each of these is unique. I’ll talk about the TPs fo specific muscles in future posts.
I certtainly welcome comments, questions, or even your own stories with trigger points.
Add comment March 3rd, 2007