I am fascinated by trigger points because of the relationship between pain and its trigger point. A trigger point sends pain somewhere else, called “referred pain.” The pain you feel is not where a trigger point is (the source of the pain), but it is referred from the trigger point, which can be far away from where you feel pain. The relationship between a trigger point and its referred pain is still a mystery, but the patterns are very predictable, and here is The Trigger Point & Referred Pain Guide.
Let’s take an example of mine. I recently had pain in the front side of the upper arm, about 2 inches below the shoulder. I don’t remember what caused it. It hurt when I rotated my arm. The trigger point is in the shoulder blade in back. When I pressed it hard, it was painful, and it sends pain right to the front of the upper arm. I massaged it with a tennis ball, and then the pain in the arm was gone. I am well familiar with this trigger point. I don’t normally feel pain in the arm, but more like an ache or soreness. Driving a long distance with the hands on the top of the steering wheel, typing without proper elbow support, or any activities requiring the arms up cause this trigger point in the shoulder blade. I have other examples, especially headaches, but I will talk about it some another time.
There are other serious symptoms caused by trigger points, and they are often misdiagnosed as something else. And also, muscles with trigger points often squeeze nearby nerves, so you feel numbness, tingling, burning sensations, which is also misdiagnosed and can lead to unnecessary surgery. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one of the common examples.