03/12/2024
A trigger point is a taut band of skeletal muscle inside a muscle group. Trigger points are tender to the touch and can refer pain to distant parts of the body. You may have regional, persistent pain resulting in a decreased range of motion in the affected muscles.
Trigger point therapy is a soft-tissue treatment that helps release tense, painful knots in your muscles and fascia (web of connective tissue). Components of trigger point therapy may include sustained pressure, posture and movement correction, electrical stimulation, dry needling, and massage.
What Are Trigger Points?
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.
Passive and Active Trigger Points
There are two types of trigger points: active and passive.
Passive trigger points simply hurt at their exact location. If you have a painful muscle knot in your hamstring and someone presses on it, the pain will be felt right where the pressure is on the knot. An active trigger point refers to pain to another part of the body. If someone presses on an active trigger point in your shoulder, you may feel pain in your shoulder along with symptoms in your chest or arm.
Regardless of the type of trigger point you have, you may benefit from massage therapy to help manage your problem.