A study published in the journal Clinical Rheumatology found that in pain free healthy adults the more depressed they were the more trigger points they had in the muscles of their upper back and across the top of their shoulders (and visa versa). In this article we discuss what that means for those with depression and those with trigger points
What are trigger points
Which causes which
What that means for you
Trial details
Reference
Trigger points are those tender lumps in your muscles that shoot pain when therapists find them. We have a separate article on them elsewhere.
The study shows that depression and trigger points go together. That is, those with few trigger points tend to have little depression, while those with many trigger points have more depression. However, it doesn't say which causes which. The possibilities are:
This research means that you there is a risk of you suffering depression as well. Our expertise is in musculoskeletal conditions (eg. trigger points), so you should consider discussing this with a professional who deals with depression.
This research suggests that you probably have multiple trigger points as well. This is our expertise, so we can advise you that these are arguably the largest cause of musculoskeletal pain such as back, neck and shoulder pain. We have linked below several useful resources, but do recommend you consult an appropriate professional.
What are trigger points
Video: How to treat trigger points
Article: Trigger point treatment
76 students and health care workers were tested. None had any neck, shoulder or thoracic pain, and none were undergoing any psychiatric treatment.
The examiners assessed the following muscles in the upper back and across the top of the shoulders for trigger points.
The level of depression symptoms was assessed using a questionnaire called the Beck Depression Inventory. When assessing the general population a score of 21 or over represents depression.
60% of subjects had one or more latent (not causing pain) trigger points in the muscles examined.
To check the relationship between trigger points and depression the researchers grouped the people into three groups: no trigger points, a few trigger points and high numbers of trigger points. This is what they found.
No trigger points group
These had an average depression score of 8
Low trigger points group (1-5 trigger points)
This group had an average depression score of 10.3
High number of trigger points group (more than 5 trigger points)
This group had an average depression score of 28.5 Scores of 21 and above are considered clinical depression)
Çelik, D., & Mutlu, E. K. (2012). The relationship between latent trigger points and depression levels in healthy subjects. Clinical Rheumatology, 31(6), 907–911. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10067-012-1950-3
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