title: Latent Trigger Points: What Are the Underlying Predictors?
abstract: To determine the factors predicting the presence and number of latent trigger points (LTrPs) in healthy individuals.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  
  Local faculty of health sciences.
  
  
  
  Healthy individuals (N=242) were divided into 2 groups: group 1, those without LTrPs (n=68); and group 2, those with LTrPs (n=174).
  
  
  
  None.
  
  
  
  Disability was assessed using the Quick-Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire and the Neck Pain and Disability Scale. Psychological factors were evaluated using the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Quality of life was evaluated using the Short-Form-12; smoking habits were determined with questions about current smoking status; and pain level was assessed using the visual analog scale. The LTrP assessment was made with a pinching movement or flat palpation bilaterally.
  
  
  
  By using a hierarchical regression model, we entered age, depression, and pain level into the first block, which explained a significant amount of variance in the presence and number of LTrPs (R(2)=.041; P=.033 and R(2)=.197; P<.001, respectively). Pain level contributed independently the presence of LTrPs, whereas age and pain level predicted the number of LTrPs (P<.05).
  
  
  
  This study found that pain and age were significant predictors of the number of LTrPs, but only pain predicted the presence of LTrPs in healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: fztebrukaya@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaya Mutlu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tansu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Birinci
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gorkem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dizdar
authors.affiliation: Division of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Arzu Razak
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ozdincler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D061028:Trigger Points / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Muscles; Pain; Rehabilitation; Trigger points