MYOFASCIAL TRIGGER POINTS (MTrP)
Myofascial Trigger points (MTrP) are hyperirritable, mostly palpable nodules in the muscle causing local or referred pain and can restrict range of movement. 14 They are always associated with a tendinopathy and must be addressed in tendinopathy management. Both FSW and RSW have been shown to alleviate the symptoms of MTrPs very effectively.
The goal of treating trigger points with RSW equipment is to localize and deactivate them.
Trigger points are localized by passing the transmitter over the muscle region being treated. Muscle tissue that is in a normal state will generally have no reaction to passing over the area with the shockwave therapy set at this level. Once an irritable area is located, there will be immediate subjective feedback from the patient which will help localize the MTrP. If the pain in the area doesn’t resolve in 500-1000 pulses, deactivating the MTrP may require using a higher energy level to help resolve the complaint. 2 Multiple painful areas can contribute to the primary MTrP, so additional pulses may also be given in those areas to help resolve the MTrP. Addressing MTrP in this fashion should result in improved range of motion (ROM), improved tissue texture, and reduced subjective pain levels not only after treatment, but can impact pain associated with MTrP for as long as 3 months. 15
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