Trigger points and Carpal Tunnel

Trigger points in many muscles can cause symptoms that are often misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. The scalene muscles are at the top of this list. (Scalene Trigger Point Diagram)

The scalene muscles can cause a lot of problems for their size. The three scalenes (sometimes 4) are located in your neck. They run between your top ribs and your spine. The nerves of the arm, the brachial plexus, run between your scalenes, under the clavicle and down your arm. When the scalenes become tight they can pinch the brachial plexus in two ways. First, the nerves can be pinched between the scalenes. The nerves can also be pinched between the first rib and the clavicle when the scalenes become tight. When pinched, pain, numbness, tingling and swelling are likely to occur. If trigger points in the scalenes are released, these problems can often be solved.

Although the scalenes are the number one culprit the nerves of the arm can also be compressed in other places by other muscles such as the serratus posterior, teres minor, pectoralis major, triceps, coracobrachialis, brachialis, supinator, pronator teres, as well as some flexors and extensors of the wrist.

Headaches and Trigger Points

The majority of headaches are caused by trigger points in muscles. These trigger points can be treated with massage and muscle manipulations. The muscles that cause headache pain are rarely located in the area that the pain occurs. For instance, trigger points in the trapezius, a muscle of the back and shoulders, send pain up into the back of the head, the eye and temple area. To find out more about the relationship of the Trapezius and the Sternocliedomastoid muscles to headache pain check out this page from Dr. Perry in Houston Texas: Headaches- The Trigger Points That Cause Headaches.

For more information about headaches and trigger points visit here: Trigger Points and Headache: Fakery or Fact from the Blog Headache and Migrane News.