How Does Tension Affect Muscles?

A healthy muscle contracts when it is in use and relaxes when the work is done.  Muscles that are affected by stress, however, contract and stay tensed up.  After a time in this tense condition, the muscles go into spasm and are unable to relax at all.  If you don’t exercise regularly, your body is probably more susceptible to the effects of stress than if you are active.  Tension builds up faster in muscles that are weak and stiff from lack of exercise.

What are trigger points?

When a muscle is always knotted up, blood can’t circulate through the tissue to nourish it.  Some of the tissue will eventually degenerate and form little nodules called trigger points.  These little knots are a source of much of the severe referred pain associated with muscle strain problems.  Once the pain reference pattern of muscle is known, it can be used to locate the muscle that is the source of the pain. 

What is referred pain?

Trigger points can refer to other parts of the body far removed from its source.  If you have a trigger  point in your shoulders, for example, it could be the cause of the pain in your temple.  As a matter of fact, in examining a trigger point in the muscle, you can press it and feel the pain shooting up in your temple. 

How serious are trigger points?

Trigger points can occur anywhere in the body and can  make a diagnosis very difficult to make regarding a pain process. Without proper treatment, these knots continue to cause pain that, in turn, makes you more tense and causes the muscle to contract more tightly, leading to more trigger points and more pain.

What is the treatment for trigger point?

Trigger point can be treated effectively with a multidisciplinary approach including, trigger point injections, aerobic therapy, massage therapy, stress management and medications such as antidepressants.  The earlier a trigger point is treated, the less likely it is to become a chronic problem.

When one clearly understands pain;
when one absolutely knows
the proper treatment, then one can offer to any patient
personal pain management that works.
This is my specialization.

-Lynne Carr Columbus, D.O.