When you read about fibromyalgia (FMS), it’s common to come across the terms “tender point” and “trigger point.”
They’re often used interchangeably, but they’re actually very different from each other. Why is there so much confusion about these two terms? At first glance, it seems that the medical community is divided over whether they are the same thing. You can even find a lot of websites and books, written by healthcare professionals, who talk about diagnosing FMS with trigger points and treating it with trigger-point injections. However, when you look at the scientific literature, it quickly becomes clear that, while tender points and trigger points both appear to play roles in FMS, they are not the same thing. Some of the confusion may be because it’s extremely common for people with FMS to also have myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), which involves chronic pain from multiple trigger points. (Some doctors also question whether FMS and MPS are different illnesses.) How They’re Different Let’s operate under the assumptions that FMS and MPS are separate illnesses, since that’s what the people who research them believe, and that tender points and trigger points are different. First, let’s look at definitions […]
| TrP | Tender Point |
| Palpable nodule (small mass) | No palpabe nodule |
| Hyperalgesia and allodynia (pain types) at site only | Hyperalgesia/allodynia at and away from site |
| Usually isolated (single) | Multiple by definition |
| Refer pain away from site | Hyperalgesia/allodynia at and away from site |
| Local twitch response | No local twitch response |
| Biopsy shows contraction | Biopsy shows nonspecific microscopic changes |
| Evidence suggests peripheral nerve involvement* | Evidence suggests central nervous system involvement |
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