Muscles
Brachialis Trigger Points
Symptom Area: Upper Back, Shoulder and Arm
Brachialis Trigger Points are explored here through their location and referred pain pattern. Muscle knots is an everyday term used for tender muscular spots; myofascial pain describes pain involving muscle and its surrounding connective tissue. Primary elbow flexor regardless of forearm rotation.
Where you feel it
When the Brachialis holds active trigger points, you usually notice it as thumb & radial hand pain and thumb pain and tingling numbness (dysesthesia). Where the pain spreads: Base of the thumb, lateral elbow, and anterior elbow crease. What often sets it off: Heavy carrying, climbing, sustained typing.
Overview
Primary elbow flexor regardless of forearm rotation. Trigger points here are common in everyday and athletic populations and frequently contribute to the referred pain patterns described below.
Trigger point locations
Deep to the biceps along the lower anterior arm.
Referred pain pattern
Base of the thumb, lateral elbow, and anterior elbow crease.
Palpation & testing
Palpate the muscle belly along its accessible course. Reproduction of the patient's familiar pain on palpation supports involvement.
Common causes
Heavy carrying, climbing, sustained typing.
Self-care & clinical treatment
Eccentric elbow flexion, self-release at the lower anterior arm. Clinically: needling.
Treatment protocol
For Brachialis, the general protocol applies: sustained pressure release on the taut band, then stretch and active movement in the newly gained range.
Position and palpation: Palpate the muscle belly along its accessible course.
Regional precaution for clinicians: Over the upper back and shoulder girdle the pleura lies immediately deep to thin muscle, so pneumothorax is the key risk; needling is performed tangentially or against a bony backstop (rib, scapula), never perpendicular to an intercostal space.
Primary Symptoms
Secondary Symptoms
Often confused with
These muscles cause the same primary symptoms, so they are checked together:
Related muscles in this region
Related articles
References
- • Travell & Simons — Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction
Medically reviewed by: Marco Aruffo — physiotherapist since 2006, specialised in myofascial pain · Last reviewed:
