Warning! This is a trick question…
The answer is that it's both. Trigger points are protective. If you have an unstable shoulder, what does the trigger point in the pec muscle do? It prevents you from getting out to dangerous ranges of motion where you may dislocate or sublux (partial dislocation) that shoulder joint. And this is true anywhere in the body. Any time you feel a trigger point in any muscle, know this: The joint that’s the closest in proximity to that trigger point is not being stabilized in the ideal way that it should be. Let’s look at part of the Anterior Oblique Sling What happens if your arm is lacking arm adduction? (A decrease in bringing your arm inwards) We can pretty much assume there are trigger points in pec major and we are shortening the rubber band. We can only get unloaded so far. Here at Embody Health Chiropractic, we are very motivated to rid patients of trigger points but we want to be sure we don’t just (adjust/mobilize/manipulate, smash, or lacrosse ball or Thera gun or Graston, or scrape or cup) in there to fully release it because what could we easily make an argument for?? That we might have just DESTABILIZED your shoulder. Should we stop releasing trigger points then? No. But just remember that is NOT the goal here. We must REINTIGRATE the muscles that you just moved or released. It’s so important to do the stability exercises we prescribe especially following an adjustment or manual therapy.
This is how you reintegrate these muscles with neurological stability. You are teaching your brain how to control this new range of motion. If you properly stabilize the joint, you’ll find a decrease in trigger points in the surrounding muscle.
