Research Studies

Muscle trigger points may be a source of pain for many individuals. We want to research the differences in the biochemicals of muscles of people with painful trigger points and those without these painful points in their muscles. Our ultimate goal is to understand how trigger points form and how treatments may work to reverse them.

We are seeking both people who experience frequent tension headaches and those who do not experience regular headaches.

Main Procedures Involved: Our study massage therapist will palpate your shoulders to determine whether you have trigger points that meet our study criteria. We will then place a catheter into the muscle that will allow us to take a small sample of fluid.

Duration of Participation: The study will have two visits. Visit #1 will take about 30 minutes where the study massage therapist will assess your shoulder muscles for trigger points. You will also complete some questionnaires at this first visit. Visit #2 will take about 4 hours to collect the sample from your muscle.