In earlier blogs we’ve highlighted sources and presentations for nerve irritation, as well as how and why posture may be the culprit in many of our everyday pains. These pains often combine both poor posture and nerve irritation, leading to something referred to as a trigger point. Many of the folks we see on a regular basis are suffering from pain caused by trigger points but are not really sure what they are. These pains include neck tension, mid back pain, pain between the shoulder blades, headaches, shoulder pain, low back pain, deep hip pain, knee pain, and pain in the ankle and foot.
What is a trigger point?
A trigger point is the compression of a nerve in the soft tissue because of chronic tension. Most of the nerves associated with trigger points, however, are not major branches, but instead, smaller pockets of nerves specific to those muscles. While we tend to refer to the compression of larger nerve bundles with the word syndrome (piriformis syndrome for example), the science of both are the same. The most important distinction here is that syndromes can be sourced in soft tissue tension, but can also be rooted in central issues within the spine, since the larger nerves emerge from there. With trigger points, the solution is often found locally within myofascial tension.
Why do trigger points happen?
This topic could easily include a plethora of sources. In our experience, as we stated in an earlier series of blogs, poor posture is often at the root of chronic tension that sets the stage for trigger point activation. Addressing the postural dysfunction and engaging in active solutions to balance the posture can often eliminate the stress and tension experienced in the average person’s everyday life. Today, we begin our pain, posture solution series where we focus on everyday pains from trigger points, primary postures associated and solutions for everyday life. Stay tuned!
