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Back and Shoulder Pain

Trigger Points and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Last updated:
9 July 2026
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Written by
Kathryn Merrow
,
Neuromuscular Massage Therapist
This article was reviewed for accuracy by 
Linda Hayes
, BSc Microbiology and Laboratory Medicine.

In This Article

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Trigger points are a type of really crabby spasm in your muscles or other soft tissues.  Trigger points “trigger” (cause) pain and symptoms like weakness, tingling and numbness in other parts of your body, sometimes at quite a distance.

When I was getting a presentation ready about the causes of trigger points. I realized that the same things that cause trigger points also cause Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!

So what causes both trigger points and carpal tunnel symptoms?  Here are seven causes:

  • Stress.
  • Allergies and chronic infections.
  • thyroid and blood disorders, like anemia.
  • Vitamin and mineral imbalances or deficiencies.
  • Doing repetitive movements, incorrectly.
  • Asymmetric bone structure: having one leg longer than the other or one-half of your pelvis being smaller than the other.
  • Forward-head posture or collapsing-forward posture.  This is very common and it causes a lot of strain on your upper body muscles.  Muscle strain can cause trigger points which “fire” into your hands, arms and wrists.

Certainly, you don’t have all of those, but you may have one or more.

It’s relatively easy to release your trigger points, once you know where there are “hiding out.”

You can go to Carpal Tunnel Radio to listen to a little 15-minute audio about “Carpal Tunnel Triggers” that I did on Thursday, March 5, 2009.  It will give you a lot more information about triggers and trigger points for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

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A note from Kathryn: I am not a medical doctor. I am someone with a lot of experience and training in how bodies get pain and how they get rid of it. The information here is educational and based on my 40+ years as a neuromuscular therapist. If your pain continues, gets worse, or you are worried about it, please see your doctor or a specialist. Your body is worth it.
About the writer
Kathryn Merrow is a neuromuscular therapist with more than 40 years of experience helping people find the causes of their muscle pain and release it naturally. Known as The Pain Relief Coach, she teaches simple, logical ways to understand your body so you can get rid of pain instead of just managing it. Pain is a symptom. Kathryn helps you treat the cause.
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