Low back, hip, and sciatica pain are common sources of recurring pain. Pain-sufferers often seek relief by treating the site of the pain, however, their pain continues to return. If this is your experience, the cause of your pain may not be the sore muscles themselves, but a muscle knot that is referring pain to this site.

This kind of muscle knot is called a trigger point or TrP. Dr. Janet Travell, a renown researcher and co-author of Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, defines TrP as a hyper-irritable spot in a muscle that refers pain to other areas of the muscle, muscle group, or other areas of the body. Trigger points are often under-diagnosed because many physicians and therapists concentrate solely on the location of the pain.

Trigger point therapy is an effective treatment for recurring pain because this therapy targets the source of pain, not just the areas of pain. For example, sciatic and lower back pain is often caused by trigger points in the gluteus maximus, medium, piriformis, and the lumbar paraspinal muscles. The drawings below illustrate pain (red areas) and trigger points (marked with “x”). Trigger points are responsible for the shaded areas of pain. When these trigger points are identified and treated, the shaded areas of pain also disappear. If the trigger points are not treated, the pain will continue to occur.