TRIGGER POINT INJECTIONS
What are Trigger Points?
Trigger points are focal areas of muscle spasm and inflammation in skeletal muscle. Trigger points are often located in the upper and lower back. Trigger point injections (TPI) may be an option for treating pain in some patients. TPI is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle that contain trigger points, or knots of muscle that form when muscles do not relax. Many times, knots can be felt under the skin. Trigger points may irritate the nerves around them and cause referred pain, or pain that is felt in another part of the body.
Benefits of Trigger Point Injections:
Trigger point injections can rid your body of unexplained pain you may be experiencing at sore or tender spots. Your neck or back may be filled with painful muscle “knots”, called “trigger points”, that surface when a portion of the muscle contracts tightly or goes in a spasm. The latest research indicates that there may be as many as 620 possible trigger points throughout
the human muscular system. Fortunately, trigger point therapy can safely and effectively treat this kind of pain, which is one of the many available medical treatments at MyStem.
What Trigger Point Injections Can Treat?
Trigger point injections can be used to treat a number of conditions including:
Myofascial pain (chronic pain in muscle tissue)
Fibromyalgia
Tension headaches
Neck pain
Low back pain
Extremity pain
What Can I Expect?
A trigger point injection involves the injection of medication (lidocaine, saline, and/or magnesium) directly into the trigger point. With the injection, the trigger point is made inactive and the pain is relieved. Typically, a brief course of treatment will result in sustained relief. Injections are given in the office and only takes a few minutes. Several sites may be injected in one visit.
After a trigger point injection, you can actively use your muscle. However, you should avoid strenuous activity for 3-4 days. You may experience mild soreness for the next 48 hours and/or mild bruising. Apply ice to the injection site the day of injection and then alternate between ice and heat thereafter for further pain relief. You should notice pain relief either immediately post injection or a few days after your injection.