We assume our joint pain is coming from our joints. However, studies have shown no correlation between symptoms and x-ray findings of degenerative changes in joints. Some people have badly degenerated joints yet no symptoms. Others have bad symptoms yet no indication of joint wear. If joints aren’t the cause of osteoarthritis pain then what is?

A pilot study carried out in 2012 treated a small group of subjects that were on a waiting list for knee replacement surgery. Trigger points known to refer pain to the knee were treated by injecting anesthetic to see if it reduced pain and other symptoms.

The findings of the study were as follows:

"Myofascial trigger points were identified in all participants. Trigger point injections significantly reduced pain intensity and pain interference, and improved mobility. All participants had trigger points identified in medial muscles, most commonly in the head of the gastrocnemius muscle. An acute reduction in pain and improved functionality was observed immediately following intervention, and persisted over the eight-week course of the investigation."

They concluded:

"All patients had trigger points in the vastus and gastrocnemius muscles, and 92% of patients experienced significant pain relief with trigger point injections at the first visit, indicating that a significant proportion of the OA knee pain was myofascial in origin. Further investigation is warranted to determine the prevalence of myofascial pain and whether treatment delays or prevents TKA."

You can find full details of the study here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3465092/

"Most patients recognized the pain from the trigger point as being ‘their pain’ and responded euphorically to the rapid cessation of pain and resultant pain free movement."

This is only a very small study, but the findings are very interesting. 92% of patients experienced significant pain relief after a single treatment indicating that a significant proportion of the OA knee pain was TREATABLE myofascial pain. Which begs the question – does Osteoarthritis really have anything whatsoever to do with our joints?

As far as I’m aware no further study has taken place. HOWEVER, given how easy it is to treat your own trigger points it’d be crazy not to give it a whirl and see if you can rid yourself of some or all of your pain! It’s not known for sure exactly what trigger points are but they present as tight knots or bands in the muscle. These bands can create intense local pain and most also refer pain to other points of the body. They are known to mimic joint pain. Trigger points can be easily treated through self massage.

Here’s an article that gives you a nice introduction on how to treat trigger points in your legs that tend to cause knee pain.

Bear in mind though that the article doesn’t mention the gastrocnemius muscle – the research study found that to be a key player. This article shows you where to find it.

For more detailed information on trigger points and how to identify the trigger points causing your pain see this article.

I hope this info helps someone to relieve or eliminate pain!