History of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy - Timeline 1936-2004
1843 Froriep: Muskel Schwiele – tender, palpable hardenings in points that when treated provided relief.
1900 Adler: Muscular rheumatism – referred pain.
1919 Schade: Hardness of ropey muscles persisted under deep anesthesia – discredited contraction due to action potential.
1921 F. Lange & G. Eversbusch: Muskelharten “muscle hardenings” with tenderness.
1925 F. Lange: Local Twitch Response.
1931 M. Lange: Used fingers, knuckles, or a blunt wood probe to apply forceful, ecchymosis-producing massage.
1936 Edeiken & Wolferth: First used term ‘trigger zone’ to describe referred pain.
1938 Steindler & Luck: Introduced ‘referred pain’ concept from original painful point to a distant area but did not call it a trigger point.
1942 Travell, Rinzler & Herman: First of many trigger point reports clarifying restricted range of motion, increased palpation resistance in the muscle and significant point tenderness producing referred pain. Noted the efficiency of strong sustained pressure applied directly to the tender point as a treatment technique. Reported aggravating factors contributing to pain reoccurrence and suggested sustained spasm of the muscle itself as cause of pain.
1949 Travell: Coined the term ‘Myofascial Pain’ - found that touching or lifting fascial covering of the muscle at the trigger area or pinching the fibrous coverings within the muscle mass produced the reference zone pain.
1952

Travell: Defines trigger points as abnormal, persistent state of hyper-activity in a trigger area which refers to a reference zone. She defines ‘latent’ trigger point as causing no symptoms at the time but which will produce a referred pain pattern with digital pressure. She substantiated that changes occurring in the reference zone make the muscle more vulnerable to developing secondary trigger points with reference zones of their own. She also confirmed that the involved muscles display pseudo-weakness, not atrophy, and are capable of full load after successful treatment.

Travell & Rinzler: Defined and discussed the trigger area, the pain cycle and referral patterns.

Modell, Travell, Kraus & Hardy: Exhibited the need for full tolerable active range of motion as essential part of treatment. Proposed myogeloses and chronic myofibrosis as likely late stages of muscle spasm.  Established that it is usually one factor initiating the painful myofascial pain-dysfunction syndrome, then other factors establish the self-propogating cycle and a third factor must intervene to stop it.
1954

Travell: Re-defined trigger points having 3 characteristics: (1) encompassing deep tenderness, (2) localized twitch when stimulated by digital pressure or pinching that portion of the muscle of the trigger area, (3) referred pain produced by pressure on the trigger point.

Sola & Kuitert: Detailed description given for examining primary and latent trigger points.

1957 Bonica: Stressed the necessity of finding the trigger point that heightens local and referred pain.
1960 Travell: Reported the trigger point phenomenon as it is associated with TMJD.  Proposed protective splinting as the factor that keeps the initial involved muscle in a shortened position resulting in the extension of the syndrome through the establishment of a spasm-pain-spasm cycle. Substantiated that painful shortening of the involved muscle can remain a pathophysiological process for many years.
1967 Travell: Presented condensed publication reviews relevant to headaches for physicians' use rather than for dentists. Encouraged the development of Fluori-Methane
1970 Kraus: Encouraged: restricted range of motion testing, palpation for trigger point identification, treatment for tender points producing referral pain pattern.  Presented progressive corrective exercise program.
1976

Travell: Clinical view of the myofascial trigger point phenomenon including basic concepts, active/latent trigger points, coincidental pathophysiology, pain reference zones and treatment.

Simons: Presentation of the muscle pain syndromes literature - a historical review.

1977 Melzak, Stillwell & Fox: Correlation and implications of trigger points and acupuncture points for pain.
1979 Grosshandler & Burney: Emphasized the absolute necessity of differential diagnosis and the uniqueness of diagnosing the myofascial pain and dysfunction syndrome.
1980 MacDonald: Substantiated range of motion testing used to locate the muscles containing an active myofascial trigger point that is causing referred pain.
1983

Travell & Simons: Detailed presentation of diagnostic and treatment principles for myofascial origin of low back pain.

Travell & Simons: Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual,  Volume One Upper Body; First medically oriented text depicting the clinical aspects of the pain and dysfunction of myofascial tissues -- a concise instruction in functional and surface anatomy, movement analysis and the specific techniques of evaluating and treating this musculoskeletal condition.

The National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists is founded.
1991 Travell & Simons: Publish Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, Volume Two Lower Body.
1995 The Academy for Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy is founded in Pittsburgh, PA.
1999 Simons, Travell & Simons: Publish the second edition of Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, Volume One Upper Body.
2004 Ferguson & Gerwin: Publish Clinical Mastery in the Treatment of Myofascial Pain.