Fibromyalgia Trigger Points

Fibromyalgia trigger points are a medical term that is used in reference to places on the patients body where pain is experienced.

The term is dually described to refer to points on the body where pressure will cause pain in different the parts of the body. You might have heard these called tender points as well. There are around eighteen different points that the average fibromyalgia patient will describe as causing pain when pressure is applied to them. Fibromyalgia is a mysterious disease that the medical community does not have a detailed understanding of yet, that is why it is important for you to be up to date with all of the latest information concerning fibromyalgia so you can choose to make decisions that will affect your pain levels.

There is no clearly defined cause of fibromyalgia that is established in the medical community. There are many different approaches to treat it in the medical community as well.. There is some evidence to show that diet plays a pretty big role in the treatment of fibromyalgia. Others like to recommend that a patient takes medications. Exercise is a commonly used to treat fibromyalgia. The real disagreements are on whether each type of these treatments is the best all of these treatments will have some kind of truth. It is important to remember that it is not the joint itself that is hurting but instead the tissue surrounding the joint.

Fibromyalgia trigger points are usually quite small in area and only occupy about the same area of a finger point. A great deal of pain is experienced when pressure is applied to these areas. However, if you apply pressure next to the tender point but not exactly on it you will feel no pain. The tender points are always found at very predictable locations and if you are being evaluated by a physician they will know where to look. It is a good yard stick to see if the patient is actually suffering from fibromyalgia because if they are feeling pain in other areas it will most likely not be the case.

Again, there are eighteen of these points located around the body. You can find them on the neck, back, chest, elbows, and the buttocks. There are four points on the neck, two in front and two on the back of the neck. There are two on the chest just around the collar bone, just below the neck however. On the back of the body there are two points where the shoulder joins the neck. There are also two below the neck on either side of the spine.

Source:

http://arthritis.about.com/od/fibromyalgia/g/tenderpoints.htm , About