The goal of trigger point therapy is the elimination of muscle trigger points. A muscle trigger point is a noticeably hardened area in a tense muscle, its fascia (muscle skin) or tendon, in which pain is triggered by pressure. In addition, transmission pain can also occur, whereby a trigger point leads to pain in completely different parts of the body.
Various factors such as overloading, incorrect loading, too little movement or even a pain-induced relieving posture can lead to reduced blood circulation in the area of the trigger point. The trigger point is therefore not sufficiently supplied with energy and contracts permanently. If this hardening is permanent, there is a danger of a pain-induced relieving posture, which promotes the development of further trigger points.
The most frequent causes of trigger point formation are lack of movement and incorrect loading. Incorrect loading is a load for which the body was not made by nature. This includes, for example, hours of sitting at the workplace, but also relieving postures, which are often taken unconsciously after injuries.
Congenital malpositions can also lead to unnatural strain on the body. Other factors that play a role in the development of trigger points are arthrosis and psychological influences such as stress. Often, the development of trigger points is not based on just one influencing factor, but on an interaction of several of them.
These factors ultimately lead to reduced blood circulation and thus to an undersupply of oxygen and energy to the muscle. Local changes in the interaction of muscle fibers, muscle fasciae and tendons cause irritation of nerve endings, resulting in pain. Finally, the muscle contracts and increasingly loses the ability to relax.
In the long run, this ends in a shortening of these muscle fibers, which is called myofascial syndrome. The danger is the creation of a vicious circle, as the pain caused by a trigger point may cause the patient to adopt a relieving posture. However, this relieving posture is a risk factor for the development of further trigger points.
