New Views of Myofascial Trigger Points: Etiology and Diagnosis
Four pages on PainSci cite Simons 2008: 1. The Complete Guide to Trigger Points & Myofascial Pain 2. The Complete Guide to Neck Pain & Cricks 3. Toxic Muscle Knots 4. The Trigger Point Identity Crisis
PainSci commentary on Simons 2008: ?This page is one of thousands in the PainScience.com bibliography. It is not a general article: it is focused on a single scientific paper, and it may provide only just enough context for the summary to make sense. Links to other papers and more general information are provided wherever possible.
Excellent summary (and some criticism) of two new papers in the same issue that “can reduce some of the controversy surrounding myofascial trigger point”: “Biochemicals associated with pain and inflammation are elevated in sites near to and remote from active myofascial trigger points” and “Identification and quantification of myofascial taut bands with magnetic resonance elastography” (which was followed up by a more detailed study the next year, see Chen 2008). He wrote that MRE “may open a whole new chapter in the centuries-old search for a convincing demonstration of the cause of MTP symptoms.”
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
Two studies appearing in Archives, one by Shah and colleagues and another one by Chen and colleagues, present groundbreaking findings that can reduce some of the controversy surrounding myofascial trigger points (MTPs). Both author groups recognize the ubiquity of this disease and the importance to patients of health care professionals becoming better acquainted with the cause and identification of MTPs. The integrated hypothesis is the most credible and most complete proposed etiology of MTPs. However, the feedback loop suggested in this hypothesis has a few weak links, and studies by Shah and colleagues in particular supply a solid link for one of them. The feedback loop connects the hypothesized energy crisis with the milieu changes responsible for noxious stimulation of local nociceptors that causes the local and referred pain of MTPs. Shah’s reports quantify the presence of not just 1 noxious stimulant but 11 of them with outstanding concentrations of immune system histochemicals. The results also strongly place a solid histochemical base under the important clinical distinction between active and latent MTPs. The study by Chen on the use of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) imaging of the taut band of an MTP in an upper trapezius muscle may open a whole new chapter in the centuries-old search for a convincing demonstration of the cause of MTP symptoms. MRE is a modification of existing magnetic resonance imaging equipment, and it images stress produced by adjacent tissues with different degrees of tension. This report seems to present an MRE image of the taut band that shows the chevron signature of the increased tension of the taut band compared with surrounding tissues.
related content
- Toxic Muscle Knots — Research suggests myofascial trigger points may be quagmires of irritating molecules
- “Ability of magnetic resonance elastography to assess taut bands,” Chen et al, Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), 2008.
Simons 2008 is about:
- “Identification and quantification of myofascial taut bands with magnetic resonance elastography,” Chen et al, Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 2007.
- “An in vivo microanalytical technique for measuring the local biochemical milieu of human skeletal muscle,” Shah et al, Journal of Applied Physiology, 2005.
- “Biochemicals associated with pain and inflammation are elevated in sites near to and remote from active myofascial trigger points,” Shah et al, Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 2008.
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:
- The Problematic Nature of Fibromyalgia Diagnosis in the Community. Srinivasan 2019 ACR Open Rheumatol.
- Fibromyalgia diagnosis and biased assessment: Sex, prevalence and bias. Wolfe 2018 PLoS One.
- Restoring trust in menopause management: menopause hormone therapy is not a panacea, and physical activity remains a critical intervention. Tulloh 2025 Br J Sports Med.
- Common interventional procedures for chronic non-cancer spine pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. Wang 2025 BMJ.
- Gabapentinoids and Risk of Hip Fracture. Leung 2024 JAMA Netw Open.