title: [Pain sites in the sternocleidomastoid muscle trigger points and the gender-related factors].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study gender-related factors in the painful sites and degree of pains in the trigger points of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
  
  
  METHODS
  The trigger points of the sternocleidomastoid muscle of healthy volunteers of either gender with different ages were examined by measurable pressure using the right thumb, and the pain degree was assessed with visual analog scale (VAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The VAS score was 5.226+/-0.331 in senior male subjects and 5.531+/-0.379 in senior female subjects, without significant differences between them (P>0.05). Nor was significant difference detected between the scores of young male and female subjects (2.940+/-0.331 vs 3.982+/-0.405, P>0.05). In terms of the pain severity, the difference was significant between the medial and anterior areas and between the medial and posterior areas of the mastoid process (P<0.05), but not between the anterior and posterior areas of the mastoid process (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no significant gender-related difference in the pain in the trigger points of the sternocleidomastoid muscle elicited by compression with the right thumb. The anterior and posterior areas of the mastoid process are relatively sensitive to compression pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou 510515, China.
authors.forename: Yu-qi
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yan-ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Hai-tao
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Qing-yang
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Yi-kai
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors