Microdialysis Evaluation of Blood Flow, Lactate, and Glucose in Active Trigger Points of Tension-Type Headache Patients and Latent Trigger Points in Healthy Muscle.
Albert F Moraska, Yue Wang, Robert C Hickner and 3 others
PMID 41033570WHAT IT FOUND
Active trigger points in tension headache patients showed higher blood flow than healthy muscle, contradicting the idea they are ischemic.
No differences were found in lactate or glucose, suggesting these trigger points are not experiencing an energy crisis.
Key findings
01Active trigger points exhibited higher nutritive blood flow compared to no trigger point muscle.
02There were no significant differences in interstitial lactate or glucose concentrations between active, latent, and no trigger point groups.
03The study results do not support the 'energy crisis' model of trigger points.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size. Low racial and ethnic diversity. Participants had minimal other health concerns. Calculated interstitial concentrations may be lower than true values due to methodological factors. Pyruvate and glycerol data are preliminary due to limited sample volume.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Extramural). No other conflicts of interest are reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that trigger points are metabolically inactive or benign. The lack of lactate and glucose differences suggests they are not in an 'energy crisis,' but the increased blood flow indicates a physiological deviation from healthy muscle, possibly driven by inflammation or neural factors not measured here.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →