[Morphologic study of trigger points]

Two articles on PainSci cite Reitinger 1996: 1. The Complete Guide to Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain 2. The Trigger Point Identity Crisis 

PainSci notes on Reitinger 1996:

In the first study of its kind in humans, Reitinger et al. perform biopsies of still-palpable nodules (presumed to be trigger points) in the gluteus medius muscle in fresh cadavers — an unusual and difficult thing to accomplish. Rigor mortis would not have set in to any significant degree in fresh cadavers.

Microscopic cross-sections of the tissue showed enlarged and darkly-staining muscle fibers — swollen fibers with higher oxidative capacity (more mitochondria, basically) — compared to elsewhere in the muscle. Their diameters were probably larger because they were contracted: electron microscopy showed maximally contracted sarcomeres, indicated by wide A-bands, absent I-bands, and close Z-bands.

This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:

• Inciting events associated with lumbar disc herniation. Suri 2010 Spine J.
• Prediction of an extruded fragment in lumbar disc patients from clinical presentations. Pople 1994 Spine (Phila Pa 1976).
• Characteristics of patients with low back and leg pain seeking treatment in primary care: baseline results from the ATLAS cohort study. Konstantinou 2015 BMC Musculoskelet Disord.
• Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial. Kuyken 2022 Evid Based Ment Health.
• Is there a relationship between throbbing pain and arterial pulsations? Mirza 2012 J Neurosci.