Trigger Points: Causes, Symptoms & Massage Treatment

What are trigger points?

Trigger points are areas of hyperirritable muscle tissue — the familiar "muscle knot" — tight, contracted bands within a muscle that do not fully release on their own. When you press on one, it typically produces a recognizable ache, and often sends sensation to a predictable area elsewhere in the body. This is called referred pain, and it is one of the defining features of trigger point dysfunction.

Common referred pain patterns include:

• Upper trapezius trigger points that refer pain up the side of the neck and into the head — a common driver of tension headaches
• Gluteal trigger points that refer into the hip or down the leg
• Infraspinatus trigger points that refer down the arm

What causes trigger points to form?

Trigger points can develop in response to:

• Repetitive strain — typing, lifting, or any activity that loads the same muscle in the same way repeatedly
• Sustained posture — sitting at a desk for hours, looking down at a phone, or any position held without adequate movement breaks
• Acute injury or overexertion — a muscle pushed beyond its capacity often responds with protective contraction that can persist
• Emotional stress — the neck, shoulders, and jaw commonly hold tension associated with psychological stress

Most people have latent trigger points throughout their bodies. They become active — producing symptoms — when they are irritated by any of the above.

How massage helps

Massage is one of the most direct ways to address trigger points. Here is what happens during targeted work:

1. Locating the point — your therapist palpates through the muscle to find the taut band and the specific hyperirritable spot within it.
2. Sustained pressure — your therapist applies sustained compression to the trigger point, holding until the tissue begins to release — often indicated by softening under the finger.
3. Lengthening the muscle — after release, your therapist uses gentle stretching and broader massage to restore the muscle to its normal resting length.
4. Flushing the area — effleurage and petrissage help increase circulation to the area, supporting tissue recovery.

Techniques commonly used

• Trigger point therapy (ischemic compression): sustained pressure directly on the trigger point
• Myofascial release: broader, slower pressure on the connective tissue surrounding the affected muscle
• Deep tissue massage: used to address the surrounding muscle layers and any secondary tension
• Passive stretching: applied after release to help the muscle reset

Trigger points in San Diego's active population

San Diego's outdoor culture is wonderful for quality of life, but it also means a lot of repetitive-strain patterns. Runners with hip flexor and calf trigger points. Cyclists with thoracic and neck tightness. Surfers with shoulder and rotator cuff knots. Desk workers with the classic upper trapezius-to-head referred pain pattern.

We work with clients across San Diego County, coming directly to your home or hotel, and can focus a full session on trigger point work or incorporate it into a broader treatment depending on what you need.

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