Trigger Point Diagnosis: At Last, the First Word on Consensus

The diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is made by physical examination and history; the physical examination is the palpation of muscle, and the history is that of the nature of the pain. There is as yet no laboratory test that allows a clinical diagnosis to be made. The diagnosis is currently made by identifying a myofascial trigger point (TrP) in a person whose pain is consistent with the pain of a TrP and whose pain is reproduced in part by activation of the TrP. However, even this statement is contentious because there has been no consensus on how to identify the TrP or how to diagnose MPS. Fern andez-de-las-Pe~ nas and Dommerholt in this issue [1] have provided us with such a consensus, that will be useful in guiding further studies.