Pain Charts

These are the classic "textbook" myofascial pain patterns from Travell & Simons' Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction--The Trigger Point Manual.

Much pain is of muscular origin but most the time, its origin is not where you hurt. Trigger points (areas of shortened, tangled muscle fibers) can refer pain to distant areas. In the illustrations, pain patterns are shown in red. X marks the area of the trigger point, that is, the origin of the pain.
Notice how rarely the trigger point matches the pain pattern. This is why the cortisone shot to the sore elbow so often fails to help. For pain of myofascial origin, some 85% of the time, the source of the pain is elsewhere.
For example, in the diagrams above,

Extensor digitorum (far left) refers pain to the finger and also produces some of the pain of "tennis elbow." Treating the elbow itself or the painful finger misses the trigger behind the pain.
Extensor indicis refers a nagging pain to the back of the hand. It may result from wrist-lock techniques such as kote-gaeishi in Aikido, particularly in versions that involve curling the index finger and wrist.
The sternocleidomastoid muscle (top center) produces a wide range of head pain (including "sinus") and strange neurological symptoms. Look familiar? See our data sheet on sternocleidomastoid pain.
Subscapularis (bottom center) is the muscular origin of "frozen shoulder" or problems combing your hair. It may also produce an odd bracelet-like wrist pain when you try to play the banjo.
Quadratus lumborum (at right) connects the bottom ribs to the hip bones and allowing you to walk. When tight it can cause brutal low back pain. It is the inspiration for many failed back surgeries.

Wallchart: Best for seeing and identifying pain patterns at a glance. Set of 2 laminated posters(Upper Body/Lower Body). Each measures 38" x 32" suitable for framing or mounting. Or ...

Flipchart: This sturdy spiral-bound chart is 24 pages (double-sided) and measures just 12" x 15". It stands by itself or folds for easy transport.

Both are treasure maps of pain relief for home or dojo. Find your pain pattern. Check the involved muscles with our Range-of-Motion Testing charts. Click here for a sampler of cervical ROM tests which reveal the muscular origins of much head and neck pain. Find the trigger points and press the pain away.

NOTE: We no longer stock these charts. Please order them directly from the publisher at http://www.lww.com.