According
to Travell and Simons a trigger point is “a highly irritable localized spot of
exquisite tenderness in a nodule in a palpable taut band of muscle tissue.”
Often referred to as knots, they can range in size from the size of a pinhead
to the size of a pea according to Clair Davies in The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. If your fingers are sensitive
enough you can feel them, which is something I have a poor ability to do
unfortunately. Trigger points have a distinctive pain referral pattern either
locally or more distant. In the case of a latent trigger point you don’t know
you have a problem until the trigger point is pressed. According to Davies, trigger
points are caused by overuse of a muscle, trauma, postural stress, and poor
work habits.
I
highly suggest that everyone purchases and reads Davies’ book. Not only does it
show where trigger points are located and their pain referral patterns, but it
also tells you the activities that commonly cause trigger points to individual
muscles. Triggerpoints.net is also a great resource.
Symptoms
By
far the worst trigger point I’ve ever suffered from was in the gluteus minimus.
Most of the time I didn’t feel anything, but after long car rides I would
sometimes feel pain and numbness down the side of my right leg with the worst
symptoms occurring in my shin.
Treatment
After
many years of this I learned about trigger points and was able to treat this.
When I started my massage I had no symptoms, so things got bad for a few days.
For the most part I’m fine now, but occasionally it comes back during rapid
stretch of this muscle. For exercise I perform more hip external rotation
exercises such as clam shells on the right side to strengthen this muscle. In addition,
I foam roll my gluteus medius regularly. Activities to that could aggravate my
symptoms would be rotational sports such as golf, tennis, and hockey.
Stay fit,
Jonathan Pratt
