Myofascial Pain Syndrome Trigger Points

A diagnosis built around trigger points can sound precise. Before you accept it, check what it is built on.

If lasting pain has been put down to myofascial pain syndrome, read a published description of the term and bring your questions to a second opinion. Readers around Montclair who have been given a single explanation for pain that has lasted can start there. Reading alone does not settle a diagnosis. The MedlinePlus page on chronic pain gives broader background for comparison.

What counts as a trigger point

Spine-health says myofascial pain is characterized by identifiable trigger points, which result from achy muscles and surrounding connective tissues. It adds that the pain is commonly localized in the neck or upper back. It may also spread to or from another area of the body.

Trigger points and your own pain

A description explains the term. It does not show whether your pain meets it. Ask how the trigger points were identified, who found them, and what else was considered. If your pain sits somewhere else, ask what that changes.

Questions that expose a hidden assumption

• How were the trigger points identified in my case?
• What other explanations for the pain were considered?
• Does the plan address the muscles, the pain, or both?
• What result would change the plan?

What a second opinion should confirm

Bring a dated record of where the pain sits, when it began and what you have tried. Ask the second clinician to confirm the diagnosis and the evidence behind it. Then ask what the first plan leaves out. The Cleveland Clinic page on chronic pain offers another set of terms to hold against your paperwork before you go.