One technique that is used to treat chronic pain is trigger point injections (TPI’s). The basic goal of these injections is muscular and myofascial (connective tissue) release. Most patients have concerns about injections, particularly whether they will be effective and how long a typical course of treatment lasts. Let’s review the pertinent details.
Trigger point injections: what are trigger points?
The basic idea behind trigger point injections is that, in order to treat pain throughout the body, you can often locate trigger points that allow you to relieve pain in the surrounding areas (1). Trigger points are bundled up, tight areas of muscle. It’s often possible to feel them by running your hands over your skin.
Because it’s generally possible to find trigger points by touch, during appointments, physicians will carefully run their hands over typical trigger points and ask for feedback. Often these areas are particularly painful. The bunching up of muscles in a trigger point stimulates nerves in the area and can sometimes transfer pain elsewhere in the body (“referred pain”).
Trigger point injections: procedure & benefits
In order to treat the pain in the trigger point itself and the surrounding area (and in any locations of pain referral), the physician or health practitioner injects a needle containing pain medication. Typically it includes an anesthetic and possibly a corticosteroid. The benefits of trigger point injections are sevenfold.
Trigger point injection benefits:
- Muscular and myofascial release
- Immediate sensation of pain-relief
- Forced relaxation of the trigger point
- Several appointments can result in long-term pain reduction
- Treatments are quick, requiring a small time commitment
- Possible to target a number of different trigger points at once
- Option to use “dry needling” if allergies are present.
Trigger point injections: common usage
TPI’s are used to achieve alleviation of pain, along with muscular and myofascial release, throughout the body. They are typically used for pain in the back, neck, and extremities (such as with repetitive strain syndrome from typing). Trigger point injections are commonly used for fibromyalgia, some types of headaches, and myofascial pain. Note that while TPI treatment is accepted for treatment of muscular pain, it’s myofascial effectiveness is still under review by the scientific community.
As you may guess, the effectiveness of TPI is impacted greatly by the skill and experience of the practitioners who are treating you. Plus, trigger point injections might not be right for your particular health issue. That’s why we offer seven different types of injections at Weston Medical, so we can customize our approach to your situation. Call us at 954-888-6650 or complete our online form today. Online Form.
Sources:
(1) http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/trigger-point-injection
