Muscles
Teres Minor Trigger Points
Symptom Area: Upper Back, Shoulder and Arm
Teres Minor 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. External rotator of the shoulder; member of the rotator cuff.
Where you feel it
When the Teres Minor holds active trigger points, you usually notice it as back of arm pain and back of shoulder pain. Where the pain spreads: Posterior deltoid in a focal spot, sometimes mimicking 'C5 radiculopathy'. What often sets it off: Throwing sports, overhead lifting, sleeping on the shoulder.
Overview
External rotator of the shoulder; member of the rotator cuff. Trigger points here are common in everyday and athletic populations and frequently contribute to the referred pain patterns described below.
Trigger point locations
Lateral border of the scapula below infraspinatus.
Referred pain pattern
Posterior deltoid in a focal spot, sometimes mimicking 'C5 radiculopathy'.
Palpation & testing
Palpate the muscle belly along its accessible course. Reproduction of the patient's familiar pain on palpation supports involvement.
Common causes
Throwing sports, overhead lifting, sleeping on the shoulder.
Self-care & clinical treatment
Sleeper stretch with care, sidelying ER. Clinically: needling is often immediately effective.
Treatment protocol
For Teres Minor, 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.
Secondary Symptoms
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:
