Science shows the dramatic affect of trigger points

A study published in the British Journal of Applied science and technology (1) found that active trigger points slow the response of a muscle by over 100 milliseconds (one tenth of a second). To put this into perspective if Rafael Nadal was facing a 200kph serve the ball would travel over 5.5m during those 100 milliseconds.

Summary of effects of trigger points on reaction times

The researchers (1) compared the reaction times for seven different muscles, with and without (myofascial) trigger points. The results are averaged and summarised in the table. The researchers were able to measure two things:

The effects of trigger points on sports performance and injuries

Altered timing

It is shown that trigger points can delay the reaction time of muscles by about one tenth of a second. This will not only alter speed and timing, but the movements required for sports require timing for coordination. This altered timing will effect accuracy, coordination, biomechanical efficiency and may even predispose to injury.

Pain

Although trigger points commonly only hurt when a therapist presses upon them, when they do cause pain they are responsible for a great number of musculoskeletal pain syndromes.

Other effects

Trigger points cause muscle to become tight, restrict their blood blood flow, and inhibit them from functioning normally. This adversely effects posture and biomechanics. Even without referring pain, trigger points will do the following (2-4). For more information please see our article Trigger point basics It is important to note that trigger points do this, even when not causing pain.

• restrict ranges of motion
• create tightness which can cause injury
• cause muscle weakness
• cause muscle fatigue
• alter muscle activations (alter neurological control of movement)
• induce muscle cramps, and
• affect posture and joint function, creating further issues.

The treatment of trigger points

In this section we will give an overview of how trigger points are treated. We will first discuss how trigger point therapies work, then how these can be incorporated into a plan to eliminate your trigger points and keep yourself trigger point free.

Number of treatments

Clinical trials show that courses of 3-12 sessions of therapy reduce pain but eliminate less than one third of trigger points (7-9). Therefore a very large number of treatments are necessary to eliminate trigger points properly. Please see our article Trigger point treatments: deactivate or eliminate for more detail.

Getting started treating your trigger points

Although self treatment with a vibration massager is very simple, trigger points can be part of more complex issues. It is also good to have a professional advise how to find them and where to apply the therapy. To get started you will need to find a good professional who understands trigger points. If you go to our get a massager page then select your country you should find near the top a link to a list of clinics that may be able to help. Alternatively, you can find a qualified professional such as a Chiropractor, Osteopath or Physiotherapist and discuss this with him or her.

How to use vibration massage

Using vibration massage is extra-ordinarily easy. We ask you to check our our instructions for the fine points and precautions, but basically all you need to do is place the vibration massager on the muscle over the trigger point and let the vibrations penetrate for 30-60 seconds. This can easily be repeated every day.

How to choose a massager

For how to choose an quality massager that will do a great job and that you will be extremely happy with please see our article How to choose a massager, or you can go straight and check out our economical, easy to use professional standard machines: the General Purpose Massager or our Ultimate Quad Head Massager.

References

1. Yassin M, Talebian S, Takamjani I, Maroufi N, Ahmadi A, Sarrafzadeh J, et al. Arm Flexion Influence on Muscle Reaction Time in Females with Active Myofascial Trigger Point. Br J Appl Sci Technol. 2015;11(1):1–9.
2. Ge HY, Arendt-Nielsen L, Madeleine P. [Accelerated muscle fatigability of latent myofascial trigger points in humans]. Pain Med (United States). 2012;13(7):957–64.
3. Celik D, Yeldan P. The relationship between latent trigger point and muscle strength in healthy subjects: A double-blind study. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2011;24(4):251–6.
4. Celik D, Mutlu EK. Clinical implication of latent myofascial trigger point topical collection on myofascial pain. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2013;17(8).
5. Simons DG. Understanding effective treatments of myofascial trigger points. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2002;6(2):81–8.
6. Dommerholt J, Bron C, Franssen J. Myofascial Trigger Points: An Evidence-Informed Review. J Man Manip Ther. 2006;14(4):203–21.
7. Bron C, De Gast A, Dommerholt J, Stegenga B, Wensing M, Oostendorp RAB. Treatment of myofascial trigger points in patients with chronic shoulder pain: A randomized, controlled trial. BMC Med. 2011;9.
8. Gerber LH, Shah J, Rosenberger W, Armstrong K, Turo D, Otto P, et al. Dry Needling Alters Trigger Points in the Upper Trapezius Muscle and Reduces Pain in Subjects With Chronic Myofascial Pain. PM&R . 2015;7(7):711–8.
9. Grieve R, Barnett S, Coghill N, Cramp F. Myofascial trigger point therapy for triceps surae dysfunction: A case series. Man Ther . 2013;18:519–25.