Trigger Point: Occipitofrontalis


Please be sure to refer to What Are Trigger Points and How To Release Trigger Points when working on trigger points at home. As always, please consult with your primary care physician prior to any type of treatment.

Occipitofrontalis: Muscular Origins, Insertions, Actions, and Nerve Innervations

The occipitofrontalis muscle consists of two main muscle bellies, one in the front of the head, the other in the back of the head, that both originate from the galea aponeurotica. The galea aponeurotica is a broad sheet of connective tissue that stretches across the top of the skull. The frontalis muscle belly attaches to the skin over the eyebrows and is responsible for raising the eyebrows and wrinkling the forehead. The occipitalis

Occipitofrontalis Trigger Points: Location and Possible Symptoms

When a trigger point in the occipitalis muscle belly becomes active, you may feel pain along the side and back of your head. It has also been known to cause a traveling pain that goes through the head to the back of the eyeball.

When a trigger point in the frontalis muscle belly becomes active, you may feel localized referred pain along the front of the forehead.

Corinne D. Bracko-Douglas, CMT, LMT, CKTP is the owner of Dochas Clinical Massage Therapy based out of Columbia, MO. She received her diploma in Clinical Massage Therapy from The Soma Institute in Chicago, IL in 2004. She enjoys teaching others about how to live a healthy lifestyle and still works one on one with clients out of her private clinic. When not working as a therapist she can be found enjoying trail hikes with her wonderful husband, Lee, and their adorable doggos, Shadow and Koda, or trying out fun new workouts to expand her knowledge of the human body and how it functions.

The advice given in these articles is not meant to diagnose. Please always consult with a health care provider before performing any of the techniques described upon yourself.

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