Brachiallis Trigger Point

Brachialis Trigger Point Causes Arm and Thumb Pain

Brachial trigger points are another common cause of anterior arm and shoulder pain. The trigger points can develop with either chronic repetitive activities or exercises; or they can occur with acute trauma.

Athletes can develop brachialis trigger points with throwing activities including baseball, basketball, soccer, or football. The brachialis muscle is utilized with both the acceleration and deceleration phase of throwing. The shoulder rotational movements can place strain throughout the muscles of the upper extremity.

Older individuals tend to develop brachialis trigger points with either home, work, or recreational lifting activities. It is very common when someone works in the yard for a long weekend or is increasing their lifting at the gym.

Brachialis trigger points can be differentiated from other trigger points on the anterior arm because of the radiation to the thumb or web of the thumb. Often times patients complain only of the thumb pain with activity. Palpation of the thumb only mildly reduces the symptoms.

As usual palpation of the trigger point reproduces the radiating pain pattern down the arm and into the thumb. Identification and reproduction symptoms of a trigger point helps differentiated from the other possible causes of injury to the upper extremity including rotator cuff, teres syndrome, C5 or C6 nerve root entrapments, or median nerve entrapments.

Conservative Treatments

Therapeutic treatments for addressing soft tissue injuries involve massage therapy, manual therapy, trigger point therapy, Graston Technique, or Active Release Technique. These treatments increase blood flow, decrease muscle spasms, enhance flexibility, speed healing, and promote proper tissue repair.

Many therapeutic exercises can help restore proper strength and endurance to the elbow flexor muscles. Isometric exercises are often the initial treatment exercises. Followed by single plane rubber band exercises for elbow flexion, extension, pronation, and supination movements. Dynamic exercises involving stability ball push-ups can be performed on the wall or floor. The more unstable of the surface the more effort and stabilization is required of all the upper extremity muscles.

Push-ups on a stability ball enhances neuromuscular learning throughout the neck, scapula, shoulder, upper arm, and lower our muscles. Additional strength exercises can be found on the arm and shoulder stability and strengthening pages.

Conclusion

Brachialis trigger points are easily found and successfully treated. Reproduction of pain is one of the most important factors for a day to find the trigger point. Then proper treatment involving soft tissue treatments, therapeutic exercises, stretching, and neuromuscular learning can help prevent trigger points from developing in the upper extremity due to future home, work, or recreational activities.

Our Chandler Chiropractic & Physical Therapy clinic treats patients with a variety of muscle, tendon, joint, and ligament injuries. The clinic provides treatment for runners, tri-athletes, and weekend warriors in addition to common headache, neck, and back patients traditionally seen in Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Massage Therapy clinics. We work with all ages and abilities of the residents in Phoenix, Tempe, Gilbert, Mesa, and Chandler AZ.