A critical evaluation of the trigger point phenomenon

The Quintner–Bove–Cohen critique of the trigger-point construct

what the source states

The authors argue the myofascial trigger-point construct rests on circular reasoning and unproven assumptions: the lesion has never been demonstrated, examiner reliability is poor, and the clinical phenomena attributed to trigger points can be better explained by other mechanisms (they propose neurogenic inflammation of peripheral nerves).

what we infer

The serious peer-reviewed case against the entire observational base of this case's featured hypothesis. Its force against the latch reading is partial: the critique targets the classic taut-band construct and its diagnosis, not the existence of tenderness or of the instrumented abnormalities — and a vascular mechanism is, if anything, closer to the critics' "it isn't the muscle" instinct than the classic theory is.

limitations

• Answered point-by-point by Dommerholt & Gerwin (2015); the debate remains open rather than settled in the critics' favor.