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trigger point

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
point (point)
1. a small area or spot; the sharp end of an object.
2. to approach the surface, like the pus of an abscess, at a definite spot or place.

point A  a radiographic, cephalometric landmark, determined on the lateral head film; it is the most retruded part of the curved bony outline from the anterior nasal spine to the crest of the maxillary alveolar process.
acupuncture point  acupoint.
point B  a radiographic cephalometric landmark, determined on the lateral head film; it is the most posterior midline point in the concavity between the infradentale and pogonium.
boiling point  the temperature at which a liquid will boil; at sea level, water boils at 100°C (212°F).
cardinal points 
1. the points on the different refracting media of the eye that determine the direction of the entering or emerging light rays.
2. four points within the pelvic inlet—the two sacroiliac articulations and the two iliopectineal eminences.
craniometric point  one of the established points of reference for measurement of the skull.
far point  the remotest point at which an object is clearly seen when the eye is at rest.
point of fixation 
1. the point on which the vision is fixed.
2. the point on the retina on which are focused the rays coming from an object directly regarded.
freezing point  the temperature at which a liquid begins to freeze; for water, 0°C, or 32°F.
isoelectric point  the pH of a solution at which a charged molecule does not migrate in an electric field.
jugal point  the point at the angle formed by the masseteric and maxillary edges of the zygomatic bone.
lacrimal point  the opening on the lacrimal papilla of an eyelid, near the medial angle of the eye, into which tears from the lacrimal lake drain to enter the lacrimal canaliculi.
McBurney point  a point of special tenderness in appendicitis, about one-third the distance between the right anterior superior iliac spine and the umbilicus.
Enlarge picture
McBurney point.
point of maximal impulse  the point on the chest where the impulse of the left ventricle is felt most strongly, normally in the fifth costal interspace inside the mammillary line. Abbreviated PMI.
melting point  (mp) the minimum temperature at which a solid begins to liquefy.
near point  the nearest point of clear vision, the absolute near p. being that for either eye alone with accommodation relaxed, and the relative near p. that for both eyes with the employment of accommodation.
nodal points  two points on the axis of an optical system situated so that a ray falling on one will produce a parallel ray emerging through the other.
pressure point 
1. a point that is particularly sensitive to pressure.
2. one of various locations on the body at which digital pressure may be applied for the control of hemorrhage.
Various pressure points used to control hemorrhage.
subnasal point  the central point at the base of the nasal spine.
trigger point  a spot on the body at which pressure or other stimulus gives rise to specific sensations or symptoms.
triple point  the temperature and pressure at which the solid, liquid, and gas phases of a substance are in equilibrium.

trigger point
n.
A specific point on the body at which touch or pressure will elicit pain.

trigger point,
a point on the body that is particularly sensitive to touch and, when stimulated, becomes the site of a painful neuralgia. Also called trigger zone.

point,
n 1. a small spot or a small area.
n 2. a rotating instrument having a small cutting end or surface.
point A,
n the deepest point in the bony concavity in the midline at the base of the anterior nasal spine, in the region of the incisor roots. A landmark on the lateral cephalometric view.
point, abrasive, rotary,
n small abrasive instruments used in straight or contraangle handpieces. Also called
mounted carborundum, diamond.
point angle,
point B,
n a mandibular point comparable to point A.
point, bleeding,
point, Bolton,
n the highest point of the curvature between the occipital condyle and the basilar part of the occipital bone and located behind the occipital condyle. A substitute for the basion point when it cannot be ascertained on cephalometric headplates.
point, central-bearing,
n the contact point of a central-bearing device. See also central-bearing device.
point, condenser,
n the nib of a condensing instrument, which is a short instrument for condensing foil or amalgam that is inserted into a mechanical condenser or into a cone socket handle.
point, contact,
n the area of contact of approximating surfaces of two adjacent teeth. The areas of contact are located at the line of junction between the occlusal and middle thirds of the posterior teeth and the incisal and middle thirds of the anterior teeth. Also called
contact area. See also open contact.
point, convenience,
n a small undercut in the cavity wall convenient for placing and retaining the first portion of a filling material. It is generally one of the retention points placed in a cavity preparation that provides the best access to the operator.
point D,
n the center of the body of the symphysis.
point, faulty contact,
n a defective contact between the proximal surfaces of adjacent teeth, produced by wearing of the contact areas, dental caries, improper restoration, or altered tooth position. See also open contact.
point, gutta-percha,
point, hinge axis,
n a point placed on the skin corresponding with the opening axis of the mandible.
point, Hirschfeld's silver,
n.pr a calibrated silver rod used to record the clinical depth of periodontal pockets radiographically for the purpose of diagnosis.
point, incisor,
n the intersection of the mandibular occlusal and midsagittal planes. The point at the mesioincisal angles of the two mandibular central incisors.
point, loss of contact,
n the failure of contact of convex proximal surfaces of adjacent teeth; produced by tooth migration, dental caries, or improper restoration.
point, median mandibular,
n a point on the anteroposterior center of the mandibular ridge in the median sagittal plane.
point of centricity,
n if the point of the buccal cusp of the mandibular right molar, put in lateral position, arcs around the upright axis of the right condyle, it will reach a station where further muscular efforts leftward will change the cusp's direction so that it will arc around the left condyle. The station where the right arc ends and the left arc begins is a point of mandibular centricity. While the right cusp point orbits (arcs) around the near vertical axis, all other points in the jaw join in orbiting (arcing). The left condyle arcs rearward until it reaches a cranial backstop; then the muscles start rotating it and carrying it leftward, and the right condyle begins arcing forward, downward, and medially. In the right and left swings of the jaw, a condyle reciprocally alternates between being a rotator and an orbiter. The point of centricity of the mandible is demonstrated usually on a horizontal plane, but it can be demonstrated on all three planes of projection. The point of centricity is rearmost, midmost (between the arcs of motion), and uppermost. See also face-bow and relation, centric.
point, paper,
point, registration,
n a point considered as fixed for a particular pattern of analysis. Also, the midpoint of a perpendicular line from the sella turcica to the Bolton-nasion plane.
point, transition,
n See Tg value.
point, treatment,
n a piece of paper point, selected for the root canal being treated, that carries or holds the medication in place.
point, trial,
n a cone of filling material placed in a canal and radiographed to check on the length and fit of the filling.
point, trigger,
n the point from which referred pain initiates. In the myofascial pain syndrome, usually a localized, deep tenderness in a taut bundle of muscle fibers from which pain is referred to other sites.
point, yield,
n 1. the place on the stress-strain curve where marked permanent deformation occurs. It is just beyond the proportional limit.
n 2. the point where permanent deformation starts in a metal.

point
1. a small area or spot; the sharp end of an object.
2. to approach the surface, like the pus of an abscess, at a definite spot or place.
3. a single tine of an antler.
4. extremities of a sheep fleece which has been removed from the sheep and laid out on a classing table.

auricular point
the center of the opening of the external acoustic meatus.
boiling point
the temperature at which a liquid will boil: at sea level, 212°F (100°C).
point of buttock
the prominence caused by the ischial tuberosity.
point of croup
highest point of the croup; caused by the sacral tuberosity.
dew point
the temperature at which moisture in the atmosphere is deposited as dew.
point of the elbow
the summit of the olecranon process.
point firing
see firing.
freezing point
the temperature at which a liquid begins to freeze; for water, 32°F (0°C).
point of the hip
the most lateral point of the hip; caused by the coxal tuberosity.
point of the hock
the summit of the calcaneus.
ice point
the temperature of equilibrium between ice and air-saturated water under one atmosphere pressure.
isobestic point
the wavelength at which two substances have the same absorptivity.
isoelectric point (pI)
the pH of a solution in which molecules of a specific substance, such as a protein, have equal numbers of positively and negatively charged groups and therefore do not migrate in an electric field.
lacrimal point
lacrimal puncta.
point of lay
the age of sexual maturity in female fowls.
point of maximal impulse (PMI)
the point on the chest where the impulse of the left ventricle is felt most strongly. It is usually on the left chest wall, around the area of the 5th costochondral junction.
melting point
the minimum temperature at which a solid begins to liquefy.
nodal p's
two points on the axis of an optical system situated so that a ray falling on one will produce a parallel ray emerging through the other.
point outbreak
see point epidemic.
paper point
very fine, tapered swabs used in endodontics to dry up the root canal.
point prescriptions
details of the exact needle procedures and locations of insertions for the treatment of specific diseases.
point prevalence rate
the proportion of the animals in a population at a point in time which are affected by the subject disease at that point. Called also instantaneous prevalence.
point selection
can be based on a table of prescriptions for specific diseases, or on the basis of which acupoints are tender, or on the basis of the innervation of the area of the lesion, and so on for a series of 11, and possibly more, strategies.
point of the shoulder
the point over the greater tubercle of the humerus.
point source epidemic
see point epidemic.
point of the sternum
the most cranial point of the sternum, caused by the manubrium.
trigger point
a spot on the body at which pressure or other stimulus gives rise to specific sensations or clinical signs.
triple point
the temperature and pressure at which the solid, liquid, and gas phases of a substance are in equilibrium.

trigger point
Neurology Trigger zone An area of low neurologic activity which, when stimulated or stressed, can become an area of high neural activity with referred sensations to other parts of the body served by the excited nerves Rheumatology A local region of ↑ tenderness that may occur in fibrositis, often located around the vertebrae medial to the scapula

Patient discussion about trigger point.

Q. My aunty who is suffering from fibromyalgia feels the position of painful tender/trigger points moves. My aunty who is suffering from fibromyalgia feels the position of painful tender points /trigger points moves. The pain moves. For this reason, pain cannot be bound to specific points. Can anybody help?

A. It’s a usual feeling faced by most. Really you will get more help from this community. We recommend you to consider neurophysiology and neuropsychology which can help you to understand the problem and the quality of pathological inference and its central representation.

Q. what is the difference between tender points and trigger points. I read somewhere in the net that there are two points called tender and trigger points which are one of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Is that true? If so what is the difference between tender points and trigger points?

A. What you have read about tender and trigger points are true. A tender point hurts to the touch and causes some degree of pain in that area, while a trigger point may not necessarily be painful to the touch but causes a degree of pain to be felt in another area. Fibromyalgia patients typically have a number of tender points and, according to the American College of Rheumatology, the diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia stipulates that an FMS sufferer should have pain upon palpation (i.e. touch) in eleven of the generally accepted eighteen tender points. A tender point is verified in a physical examination in which approximately nine pounds of pressure are applied by touch and the patient acknowledges that pain is felt.

Read more or ask a question about trigger point


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