Triggerpoint acupuncture is directly treating triggerpoints using active needling techniques.
A triggerpoint is an unnaturally tight muscle in the body that is having an impact on another, related part of the body. For example, a tight muscle in a forearm muscle pulls on the elbow joint and creates pain there.
Triggerpoint acupuncture is the process of locating the triggerpoints that are causing pain, and treating them. Specifically, this form of acupuncture hopes to invoke involuntary twitching in the tight muscle. Repeated twitching causes the muscle to fatigue and release the unnatural tightness. Once the pulling is relieved, the pain diminishes or disappears.