What this is about
Sometimes, pain does not come from where you feel it. Just like a heart attack can make the arm hurt, sore or tight muscles can send pain - or even tingling - somewhere else. This is called referred pain, and it is common after accidents or injuries.
Trigger points - small but powerful
A trigger point is a tight, tender spot in a muscle. It can cause pain nearby or far away. It may also cause tingling or numbness that feels like a nerve problem, but the source is in the muscle itself. After a car accident or other injury, these points can form when muscles stay tight or do not get enough blood flow.
Why it happens after injury
After an accident, your body tries to protect itself by tightening muscles. If that tension stays too long, it can lead to trigger points. These tight bands can keep sending pain signals even after the original injury heals. That is why we often need to help both the muscle and the nervous system relax and reset.
How I treat it
- Gentle massage or stretching to relax the area.
- Hydrostatic Intramuscular Stimulation (Hydrostatic IMS): I use a fine needle to activate the trigger point, then introduce a small volume of sterile saline. The gentle hydrostatic pressure adds internal stimulation, helping the taut band release more completely. This avoids the sting of local anesthetic while combining needling with pressure-based release.
- Posture and movement training after the pain calms down, so the problem does not come back.
The goal is to restore normal movement, reduce pain, and help your body learn it is safe to relax again.
Want to go deeper?
A Deeper Dive on Sensory Mapping →