I’d Like to Share a Health Story—Bruce’s Experience and How It Reveals the Connection Between Abdominal Trigger Points and Back Pain.
Bruce’s Story
Bruce, a 69-year-old hardware store owner, began experiencing intense pain on the left side of his abdomen six weeks ago, near the lower ribs. To address his chronic back ache, he had started strengthening his abdominal muscles, but the pain emerged soon after.
Doctors diagnosed him with costochondritis or rib inflammation, which provided little relief. Bruce’s pain worsened when putting on pants, lifting his feet, or even standing, forcing him to rely on an elastic back brace for support.
In desperation, Bruce tried massage therapy. He discovered multiple trigger points in his abdominal muscles, particularly near the rib connections. After daily self-massage for 2 weeks, Bruce not only stood straighter but also completely rid himself of the rib pain. He no longer needed the elastic back brace.
Bruce’s case is not an isolated incident. Trigger points in the abdominal muscles are hypersensitive nodules that can cause localized or referred pain when pressed. These trigger points not only lead to abdominal pain but can also transmit pain moving to the back, particularly as a broad, band-like discomfort across the back.
The Abdominal Muscle Group: Silent Stabilizer and Pain Conductor
The core muscle group forms a sophisticated biomechanical network, with the abdominal muscles playing a dual role. The rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, and internal and external obliques not only act as a "natural corset" to stabilize the spine but also coordinate with the back muscles through the fascial chain to maintain dynamic balance.
Once this anterior stabilizing system is disrupted, it forces compensatory contractions in the posterior muscle groups, such as the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum.
Trigger points in the abdominal muscles often form silently.
Prolonged sitting in an office chair keeps the abdominal muscles in a shortened state; sudden fitness training causes micro-injuries; and even emotional stress-induced unconscious muscle tension can plant the seeds of pain in these deep muscle fibers.
These sensitive nodules, 2-5 millimeters in diameter, act like miniature "pain transmitters" lurking in the muscles.
The Pain Transmission Code of Abdominal-Back Linkage
When abdominal trigger points are activated, their referred ache patterns can be deceptive. Trigger points in the upper rectus abdominis may project pain to the mid-back, akin to igniting a fire between the shoulder blades, while trigger points near the pubic bone may radiate pain along the groin to the sacroiliac joint. This cross-regional pain transmission stems from the overlapping nerve segment distribution during embryonic development.
Compensatory postural changes often exacerbate this pain cycle. Anterior pelvic tilt caused by tight abdominal muscles increases lumbar curvature, forcing the erector spinae to contract continuously to maintain balance – a mechanism that frequently intensifies lower abdominal and lower back pain together. In this vicious cycle, initially functional myofascial ache may evolve into true intervertebral disc pressure imbalance.
How to Release Abdominal Trigger Points
Self massage on the abdominal muscles.
Deep Press on the lower back.
Stretches abdominal muscle for lower back pain.
In this era of sedentary lifestyles, back ache induced by abdominal trigger points is no longer exclusive to fitness enthusiasts. From homemakers to white-collar elites, from teenagers to the elderly, core instability is creating a new pain epidemic.
The key to solving this pain puzzle lies in understanding that the human body is a precise interconnected system—sometimes, curing back ache starts with the abdomen. As ancient Eastern medical wisdom states: The location of pain may not be the root of the problem.
