Composed of twelve vertebrae, the thoracic spine is the longest part of your back. It is often referred to as the middle back or torso back. One way to identify these vertebrae is to realize that each of one has a rib attached to it.

The nerves that are protected by the vertebrae in the thoracic spine control muscles, surface tissue, and internal organs.  These nerves also control the arms from the elbow down, hands, fingers, the muscles of the middle back, the chest, and the ribcage.

Nerves passing through the spinal canal of the thoracic spine also control crucial parts of the sympathetic nervous system including the heart, lungs, bronchial tubes, gallbladder, liver, stomach, small intestines, kidneys, pancreas, and kidneys.
 

Trigger point therapy is based on the phenomenon of mysterious pain being triggered by a light touch. These painful trigger points can occur as a result of muscle spasm or from tangled knots of fascia.

In persons who are suffering from muscular aches and pains, knotted muscles and a painful tender spot characterize the trigger point. A trigger point can radiate pain and sensation through nerves to other places on the body.

Trigger point therapy treatment involves injecting a small amount of local anesthetic into the trigger point. The anesthetic seems to scramble the pain message from the nerve and return the nerves in the trigger point back to a state of rest. A series of treatments are necessary to cause the re-educate the pathologically disturbed nerve and muscle to behave normally.

Trigger point therapy is especially useful for cases of blunt or traumatic injury to the back or in cases when repetitive motions or tension causes the pain.
 

Trigger points are isolated focal points located in a taut band of skeletal muscle.  When touched, these trigger point produce pain.  Trigger point pain often accompanies chronic musculoskeletal disorders.

Acute trauma or repetitive trauma to the muscles may lead to the development of stress on muscle fibers and the formation of trigger points.  As a result people may develop persistent regional pain that results in a decreased range of motion in the affected area.

Trigger points are often found in the muscles used to maintain body posture, such as those in the neck, shoulders, and pelvic girdle. Trigger points may also manifest as tension headache, tinnitus, jaw pain, and low back pain.

Various treatments, such as ultrasonography, manipulative therapy and injection, are used to inactivate trigger points. Trigger-point injection has been shown to be one of the most effective treatment modalities to inactivate trigger points and provide prompt relief of symptoms.