The myofascial trigger point is a nodule that is palpable on the skin and is located in a tight band of muscle.
How do I know if the pain I have is from a trigger point?
Nowadays musculoskeletal disorders are one of the main causes of our consultation. Trauma, bad postures or habits during the workday or the routine activities of our day-to-day cause our muscles to not be able to relax and the Myofascial Pain Syndrome appears. Voluntary skeletal muscles make up 40% or more of an individual's body volume and each of our muscles can be affected by myofascial pain, which is why we understand that it is a very common pain. This pain is caused by the appearance of some sensitive nodules called trigger points that cause dysfunction in our body.
What is a trigger point?
Trigger point is a nodule that is palpable on the skin and is located in a tight band of muscle. This causes pain with a characteristic pattern and can be found around our entire body. Trigger points are described since they are always located in the same parts of the body. Where they are most abundant is in the back muscles because they are muscles with postural characteristics and these tend to become more fatigued.
How do I know if the pain is from a trigger point?
If we press this nodule, the pain appears intensely at the same point, but if it is very sensitive, it can even until the pain reproduces in a distant place (referred pain). Sometimes a spasm or contraction can also be seen visually when pressure is applied to the area. This phenomenon is called a local spasm response and is also an indicator that the point is very active.
Myofascial pain causes weakness (heaviness, tiredness) and restriction of movement, generating dysfunctions of the musculoskeletal system such as back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, headaches, etc. It is common that myofascial pain is confused with pathologies such as tendinitis, migraine, vertigo or fibromyalgia. This is because the characteristic referred pain patterns of trigger points can cause symptoms similar to pathologies that we already know. For example, the referred pain of the infraspinatus muscle trigger point coincides with the pain suffered by having a shoulder tendinopathy, or the referred pain of the trapezius muscle and of the cervical musculature in general, can be confused with a migraine since the pain radiates to the head.
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