Symptoms
Find which muscles are commonly involved in your symptom and explore referred pain patterns.
81 results
Back
Abdominal pain (muscular)
Persistent abdominal pain without GI pathology can refer from rectus abdominis, obliques and iliopsoas.
Neck
Acute torticollis
Acute painful neck rotation lock, often from levator scapulae and splenius cervicis with SCM guarding.
Foot
Ankle pain
Lateral and posterior ankle pain frequently refers from peroneals, tibialis posterior and soleus.
Back
Anterior hip/groin pain
Anterior hip pain with stairs and prolonged sitting frequently involves iliopsoas, rectus femoris and pectineus.
Leg
Anterior knee pain
Front-of-knee pain with stairs and prolonged sitting commonly involves quadriceps trigger points.
Foot
Arch pain
Pain along the medial arch frequently refers from tibialis posterior, FDL and intrinsic foot muscles.
Head
Atypical facial pain
Diffuse cheek, jaw and forehead pain commonly involves SCM, masseter and pterygoids.
Leg
Biceps pain
Anterior arm pain along the biceps groove, often referring from biceps and brachialis trigger points.
Foot
Big toe pain
Pain at the big toe in runners commonly refers from FHL, EHL and tibialis anterior.
Back
Breathing restriction
Sense of incomplete breath with normal pulmonary tests often reflects diaphragm, intercostal and scalene restriction.
Leg
Calf pain
Calf pain in runners commonly involves gastrocnemius and soleus trigger points.
Leg
Carpal tunnel-like symptoms
Numbness and tingling in the hand can be reproduced by pronator teres and scalene trigger points, in addition to true median compression.
Neck
Cervical stiffness
Stiffness on waking or after sustained postures, commonly from upper trapezius, levator scapulae and splenii.
Head
Cervicogenic headache
Unilateral headache reproduced by neck movement or sustained pressure on upper cervical structures and muscles.
Back
Chronic pelvic pain
Persistent pelvic pain frequently involves obturator internus, adductor magnus and pelvic floor muscle trigger points.
Back
Coccyx pain (coccydynia)
Tail-bone pain with sitting often has a contributing trigger point in gluteus maximus, obturator internus and pelvic floor.
Back
Costochondritis-like pain
Sharp anterior chest pain reproduced by costochondral palpation often has a myofascial component from intercostals and pectoralis major.
Hip
Deep buttock pain
Deep gluteal pain with sitting frequently involves piriformis, obturator internus and quadratus femoris.
Head
Dizziness & tinnitus (cervical origin)
Non-vestibular dizziness and ringing in the ears can be associated with trigger points in the SCM and masseter.
Head
Dry cough trigger (cervical)
Persistent dry cough sometimes has a contributing trigger point in longus colli or anterior SCM.
Head
Ear pain (non-otologic)
Deep ear pain without otologic findings is frequently myofascial in origin, particularly from masseter, medial pterygoid and SCM.
Head
Eye and behind-the-eye pain
Pain behind or around the eye without ophthalmic pathology often refers from SCM, suboccipitals, occipitalis and temporalis.
Back
Fibromyalgia overlap
Fibromyalgia patients frequently have active trigger points that worsen overall pain burden when untreated.
Leg
Finger numbness (non-radicular)
Tingling and numbness in fingers without clear nerve root signs commonly involves scalenes, pec minor and forearm trigger points.
Foot
Foot numbness (non-radicular)
Foot numbness without nerve root signs can be reproduced by gluteus minimus and EDB trigger points.
Leg
Forearm pain
Diffuse forearm pain in keyboard and tool users, from multiple flexor/extensor trigger points.
Head
Forward head posture syndrome
Sustained forward head posture loads upper trapezius, suboccipitals, SCM and pectorals, generating widespread myofascial complaints.
Shoulder
Frozen shoulder pattern
Loss of passive shoulder range with significant myofascial restriction in subscapularis, teres major and pectoralis major.
Back
Generalized myofascial pain
Multiple active trigger points across body regions, often combined with sleep and stress factors.
Head
Globus sensation
Feeling of a 'lump in the throat' can have a myofascial component from suprahyoids and longus colli.
Hip
Greater trochanteric pain
Lateral hip pain over the greater trochanter, commonly from gluteus medius, minimus and TFL — often labeled 'bursitis'.
Leg
Grip weakness (non-neurological)
Functional grip weakness often improves dramatically once forearm extensor and thenar trigger points are addressed.
Back
Groin pain
Groin pain in athletes commonly involves adductors, iliopsoas, pectineus and oblique trigger points.
Leg
Hand cramps
Hand cramping in writers and musicians often involves intrinsic hand muscles and forearm trigger points.
Foot
Heel pain
Posterior and plantar heel pain often refers from soleus, abductor hallucis and quadratus plantae.
Hip
Hip clicking
Painful hip clicking with motion often improves once iliopsoas, TFL and gluteal trigger points are addressed.
Hip
Hip pain
Lateral and posterior hip pain frequently of muscular origin — often labeled 'bursitis' without clear evidence.
Back
Interscapular pain
Burning pain between the shoulder blades, commonly from rhomboids, middle trapezius, scalenes and infraspinatus.
Head
Jaw & TMJ pain
Pain in the jaw joint, ear or temple with chewing or clenching — often myofascial rather than purely articular.
Leg
Lateral elbow pain (tennis elbow)
Lateral elbow pain with gripping often involves wrist extensors, supinator and triceps trigger points.
Leg
Lateral knee pain
Pain on the outer knee in runners and cyclists, often referring from vastus lateralis, TFL and gluteus minimus.
Back
Low back pain
Non-specific low back pain commonly involves trigger points in the quadratus lumborum and gluteus medius.
Leg
Medial elbow pain (golfer's elbow)
Medial elbow pain with gripping often involves wrist flexors and pronator teres trigger points.
Leg
Medial knee pain
Pain on the inner knee commonly refers from vastus medialis, sartorius, gracilis and adductor longus.
Foot
Metatarsal/forefoot pain
Pain across the ball of the foot commonly refers from interossei, FDL and quadratus plantae.
Back
Mid-back pain
Aching between the shoulder blades commonly referring from rotator cuff, scalenes and rhomboid trigger points.
Head
Migraine triggers (myofascial)
Cervical and masticatory trigger points can lower the migraine threshold and trigger attacks in susceptible patients.
Foot
Morton's neuroma-like pain
Burning forefoot pain between the toes can have a contributing trigger point in foot interossei.
Neck
Neck pain
Stiffness, limited rotation and aching at the base of the neck — most often non-specific and muscular in origin.
Leg
Nocturnal calf cramps
Night-time calf cramps frequently involve gastrocnemius and soleus trigger points.
Back
Non-cardiac chest pain
Chest pain with normal cardiac workup often refers from pectoralis major, serratus anterior, intercostals and SCM.
Leg
Patellar tracking pain
Pain from patellar mistracking improves substantially with vastus medialis re-education and vastus lateralis release.
Back
Period pain with muscular component
Menstrual pain can be aggravated by abdominal wall and pelvic muscle trigger points.
Foot
Plantar fasciitis-like pain
Heel and arch pain on first steps in the morning commonly involves soleus, tibialis posterior and intrinsic foot muscle trigger points.
Back
Post-exercise soreness (persistent)
DOMS that persists beyond 5–7 days often hides active trigger points in the worked muscles.
Leg
Posterior knee pain
Pain behind the knee commonly refers from gastrocnemius, popliteus and the hamstrings.
Shoulder
Posterior shoulder pain
Localized pain behind the shoulder often referring from teres minor, posterior deltoid, latissimus and triceps.
Leg
Restless legs pattern
Some restless-legs presentations have a contributing myofascial component in calf and gluteal muscles.
Back
Rib pain
Local rib pain with breathing or rotation often refers from intercostals, serratus posterior inferior and obliques.
Shoulder
Rounded shoulder pattern
Rounded shoulders shorten pectoralis major/minor and weaken the lower trapezius and serratus, driving shoulder and neck pain.
Leg
Runner's knee pattern
Anterolateral knee pain in runners frequently involves vastus lateralis, TFL and gluteus medius.
Back
Sacroiliac pain
Pain over the sacroiliac joint often refers from gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, multifidus and soleus.
Shoulder
Scapular pain
Burning or aching along the medial scapular border, commonly from rhomboids, middle trapezius and serratus posterior superior.
Shoulder
Scapular winging feeling
A 'wing' sensation along the medial scapular border often reflects serratus anterior weakness with overactive rhomboids.
Leg
Sciatica-like pain
Buttock and leg pain that mimics nerve root compression — frequently muscular in origin, especially from piriformis and gluteus medius.
Leg
Shin splints
Anterior shin pain in runners often refers from tibialis anterior and extensor digitorum longus trigger points.
Shoulder
Shoulder clicking
Painful clicking with motion often has a scapular dyskinesis contributor with overactive upper trapezius and weak lower trapezius/serratus.
Shoulder
Shoulder pain
Deep anterior or lateral shoulder pain frequently originating from rotator cuff trigger points rather than the joint itself.
Shoulder
Shoulder weakness (non-neurological)
Functional weakness without nerve injury can result from severe inhibition by active trigger points in the cuff and deltoids.
Head
Sinus-like pain (non-infectious)
Cheek, forehead and behind-the-eye pressure without infectious sinusitis often reflects masseter and SCM referral.
Back
Sleep-disrupting myofascial pain
Trigger points often produce position-dependent pain that wakes patients at night.
Back
Stress-related muscular tension
Stress and anxiety drive sustained muscular bracing, most commonly in upper trapezius, masseter and suboccipitals.
Shoulder
Subacromial impingement-like pain
Painful arc with overhead motion often improves substantially when rotator cuff trigger points are deactivated.
Head
Tension headache
A bilateral or unilateral 'band-like' headache that often originates from trigger points in the neck and shoulder muscles.
Head
Throat soreness (myofascial)
Persistent throat soreness without infection or reflux may refer from longus colli, digastric and SCM.
Leg
Thumb pain
Pain at the base or tip of the thumb often refers from brachialis, brachioradialis, supinator and thenar muscles.
Head
TMJ clicking & limited opening
Clicking, deviation and limited mouth opening often improve when masticatory muscle trigger points are addressed.
Head
Tooth pain (referred)
Persistent tooth pain with normal dental imaging frequently refers from masseter, temporalis and digastric.
Leg
Triceps pain
Posterior arm pain that often refers to the lateral elbow and posterior shoulder.
Neck
Whiplash-related symptoms
Persistent neck pain, headaches and dizziness after a whiplash event have a strong myofascial component.
Leg
Wrist pain
Wrist pain in office and manual workers often refers from forearm muscle trigger points.