How to Spot Massage Trigger Points in Muscles

Myofascial trigger points are responsible for persistent pain in approximately 10 percent of the United States population. Similar to fibromayalgia, trigger points generate muscular pain in localized zones as well as referring pain to other sites. They respond well to massage therapy where an experienced practitioner can release the knot with applied pressure and/or injection therapy.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Consult with the patient to determine where and how the pain manifests. Refer to a trigger point chart or a reference book to isolate a primary location to examine. Self-diagnosis follows the same procedure.

2. Warm up the area to be worked on with heating pads or hot towels.

3. Palpate the area gently to locate the belly of the muscle. A trigger point feels like a taut knot within the bulk of the muscle. Therapists with especially sensitive fingers may feel a slight difference in heat between normal tissue and the trigger point in surface dwelling trigger points.

4. Apply firm pressure to the knot. Trigger points are extremely sensitive when pressed. Pain that sparks in the immediate location and refers in distant sites signifies the presence of an active trigger point.

5. Rub your fingers across the muscle perpendicular to its length. This produces a twitch in response if a trigger point is present.

Tips & Warnings

• The majority of physicians and alternative therapy professionals aren't versed in myofascial trigger point diagnosis. Because the referred pain mimics a multitude of other maladies, trigger points are usually misdiagnosed. Recurring trigger points may require further therapy with dry needling and an inspection of patient activities to isolate a primary cause of irritation.

Resources

• Detailed definition of trigger point syndrome

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