Abstract

Pain and tenderness are characteristically referred from myofascial trigger points(MTrPs) located in muscle remote from the site of the pain. Pain from myofascial trigger points can be identified by careful history taking and skillful physical examination, and it is quickly responsive to physical and medical management in the absence of serious perpetuating factors. Skeletal muscle makes up nearly half of body weight. Each of the approximately 500 skeletal muscles is subject to acute and chronic strain. Each muscle can develop myofascial trigger points and has its own characteristic pattern of referred pain. Perpetuating factors can increase irritability of muscles, leading to the propagation of trigger points and increasing the distribution and severity of pain. Because myofascial trigger points appear to play an important role in migraine and tension-type head- aches, all headache patients should be evaluated for their presence. If found, the treatment regimen should include myofascial trigger point pain reduction techniques or a myofascial trigger point pain management program. One current source of confusion is use of the term myofascial pain syndrome(MPS) for two different concepts. Sometimes, MPS is used in a general sense that applies to a regional muscle pain syndrome of any soft tissue origin. Historically, the term MPS has been used in the restricted sense of that syndrome which is caused by TrPs within a muscle belly(not scar, ligamentous, or periosteal TrPs). Korean Journal of Headache 5(1):43-64, 2004