Clinical term

Myofascial pain syndrome

Myofascial pain syndrome is regional muscle pain associated with trigger points: highly sensitive spots, located within a taut band of muscle, where pressure reproduces the pain felt, sometimes at a distance.

Scientific basis

The diagnosis is clinical and relies on palpation. An international expert consensus retains at least two of three criteria: a taut band within the muscle, a hypersensitive spot within that band, and pain referred to a distance (Fernández-de-las-Peñas and Dommerholt, 2018).

The entity remains debated: criteria vary widely from one study to another, and there is no reference biological marker or imaging test (Li et al., 2020). Some signs, however, such as reproduced pain and referred pain, reach acceptable reliability between trained examiners (Bron et al., 2007).

The word "myofascial" combines the muscle and its connective envelope, but it names a clinical syndrome, not a tissue diagnosis: it does not prove that the fascia is the structure generating the pain. The possible role of fascial hyaluronan in this pain is a research hypothesis (Stecco et al., 2011).

Blue Portance / SBNFA™ reading

SBNFA™ offers neither a diagnosis nor a treatment for myofascial pain syndrome. It focuses on the mechanical conditions that accompany regional pain: how long the same position is held, where support is located, and whether the demands can be varied. The hypothesis that static, repeated loads on the same areas help sustain this pain belongs to the SBNFA™ reading.

Contribution to the analysis of sitting

Observing how long sitting is tolerated, which support areas are painful and whether support can be shifted provides functional information. It does not identify a trigger point or the tissue responsible for the pain.

Not to be confused with

Fibromyalgia, widespread pain linked to a change in how the nervous system processes pain; fascial densification, a research concept concerning the connective tissue between layers; muscle hypertonia, increased muscle tone without a trigger point; pelvic myofascial pain syndrome, a regional form affecting the muscles of the pelvis and pelvic floor.

Sources and scope

A recognized but debated clinical entity; diagnostic criteria derived from an expert consensus. This entry does not replace a clinical examination.