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How can I tell if I have a trigger point?
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Common signs are: increased muscle tension, muscle shortening, inflexibility, referred
pain to a different part of the body (pushing on a sour spot on your neck makes your arm
hurt). Trigger points can also present themselves as referred sensations such as tingling,
"pins and needles", hot or cold as well as symptoms in the form of nausea, dizziness,
blurred vision, toothache, earache and more.
Trigger points come in two "flavors"- active or latent:
- ACTIVE -those that are actively causing pain.
- LATENT-those that act like bandits waiting to jump at you. They are just waiting for
that little insult to the muscle which causes them to go from latent to active.
As we age and continue to "deal with our pain" instead of correcting it, the discomfort
occurs with more frequency and intensity. Most people say "well, I'm getting older and
must be starting to get arthritis. So what can I do anyway?" This may not be arthritis but
the trigger points in the muscle (e.g.,shortened muscle puts more stress on joints, causing
bursa irritation which may be mistaken for arthritis).
Trigger points are not visible on an x-ray or CT scan, so they can be difficult to locate
without palpation. Most trigger points coincide with acupuncture points. If left untreated
they can cause satellite trigger points in the surrounding muscles. For example - a trigger
point in the trapezius (shoulder muscle) may lead to a satellite in the temple which in turn
may lead to satellites in the jaw. You now have symptoms of TMJ disorder.
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