Why are they called trigger points?
Pulling the trigger of a gun makes a noise in the gun but it also sends out a bullet that causes pain at a distant target site. Pressing firmly on myofascial trigger points hurts right where you are pressing; sometimes making you jump, wince or pull away. But, more importantly, trigger points also send “referred” painor tenderness to some other site, often quite far away. So, for example, a headache may not be caused by a problem in the head itself but may have been sent to the head from a trigger point on the side of the neck.
