From foam rolling and stretching to chiropractic care and deep-tissue massages, it may have felt like you tried everything you can imagine when it comes to finding pain relief from those aggravating muscle knots. Persistent or chronic muscle pain may require medical treatment, and trigger point injections may offer immediate benefits to your muscle pain.
What are Trigger Points?
Trigger points, also known as muscle knots, are discrete, focal, hyper-irritable spots located in a taut band of skeletal muscle. They produce pain locally and referred pain, which is pain perceived at a location other than the site of the painful stimulus.
In most cases, an acute muscle injury or continual muscle stress may lead to the development of trigger points. Trigger points may also cause tension headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, and decreased range of motion in the legs and lower back.
What are Trigger Point Injections?
Trigger point injections (TPIs) are a therapeutic modality that serve as an adjunction or primary therapy, alongside muscle relaxants and other medications aimed at decreasing pain in the musculoskeletal system. A trigger point injection is an injection with small amounts of anesthetic and steroid that is inserted into the painful knot in your muscles.
Benefits of Trigger Point Injections
There are several benefits of trigger point injections, including:
Alleviate Pain
Small amounts of the anesthetic medication are injected into the muscle and work by blocking pain receptors within the nerves surrounding the muscle. In turn, it reduces the pain signals sent to the brain, according to the American Migraine Foundation.
Low Risk
Trigger point injections are safe, and the risk of complication from a trigger point injection is very slim. While you may have temporary soreness or numbness at the injection site, it is uncommon to experience bleeding or an infection. Trigger point injections are also minimally invasive, safe and an effective way to provide prompt pain relief.
Used to Treat Various Conditions
Trigger point injections can help soothe muscle pain and can be used to treat several conditions, including:
- Fibromyalgia
- Myofascial pain syndrome
- Headaches
- Low back pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tinnitus
- Migraines
- Sciatica
- Injuries, such as sports injuries
Contact Center for Interventional Pain & Spine
At The Center for Interventional Pain & Spine, we understand that pain is real and can affect every aspect of your physical and mental health. We offer advanced interventional and minimally-invasive techniques to help treat your chronic complex pain. Schedule an appointment today!
