Locating the Fibromyalgia Trigger Points
When muscles fails to relax after contraction, it results in a
muscular knot. This knot is called a fibromyalgia trigger point and is present under the skin. When we touch it, the trigger
point may twitch involuntarily. This involuntarily action is called a jump sign.
Trigger points will irritate surrounding nerves causing referred pain that can be felt in other parts
of the body. As a result of the fibromyalgia referred pain, some range of motion is lost due to developing scar tissue in the
affected muscles. To treat this extreme pain, trigger point therapy is used which treats extremely painful areas of soft
tissue muscle such as tendons and ligaments.
If pain is felt in a particular area without any redness, swelling or heat in the surrounding joints or muscles,
it is called a fibromyalgia trigger point or tender point. This fibromyalgia trigger point is found in specific places on the
body that are exceptionally sensitive to the touch in people with fibromyalgia. It is these trigger points that a doctor
will be looking for when diagnosing fibromyalgia syndrome.
 |
The 18 fibromyalgia trigger points exist at these nine bilateral muscle locations:
1. Low Cervical Region: (front neck area) at anterior aspect of the interspaces
between the transverse spaces of C5-C7
2. Second Rib: This is located at the second costochondral
junctions
3. Occiput: At the back of your neck at suboccipital muscle insertions
|
4. Trapezius Muscle: Found at midpoint of the upper border.
5. Supraspinatus Muscle: Right above the medial border of the scapular spine
6. Lateral Epicondyle: 2 cm distal to the lateral epicondyle
7. Gluteal: At the outer quadrant of your buttocks
8. Greater Trochanter: At the posterior part of trochanteric prominence.
9. Knee: At the medial fat pad proximal of the joint
Thus trigger points are wide spread all over the body especially in the right and left side of the body,
above and below the neck and wrest. It is also present at low back and front of chest.
A doctor will test for the trigger points during a diagnosis examination and at each subsequent appointment to
identify the results of prescribed therapy. Other control points are also tested on the body to determine the reaction in
relation to the tender points. A patent testing positive for 11 of the 18 trigger points always present in this condition
is diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
The trigger points may worsen over time and they may get better. This is one of the strange symptoms of
this syndrome. Overall, your doctor will track the information to assist with ongoing treatment.
Therapeutic massage is used to manipulate the muscles and soft tissues of the body. This helps to reduce
muscle tension, stress and spasms and also assists to reduce the pain.
|
