Relieving Pain with Trigger Point Injections

If you have ever wondered why you have constant pain in your back or extremities, it could be a chronic disorder of the musculoskeletal system. In the working-age population and older age groups, about 10 percent of the U.S. population has musculoskeletal disorders which are the leading causes of disabilities. Trigger points, often accompanying chronic musculoskeletal disorders, are discrete, focal, hyperirritable spots that produce pain and decrease your range of motion that is located in a taut band of skeletal muscles. An effective method that shows the best results to relieve patients of this kind of pain is trigger point injections (TPI).

The physical finding of a trigger point can be palpitation of a hypersensitive bundle of muscle fibers that are harder than normal. These trigger points can be classified as being active or latent. Characteristics of an active trigger point are:

• Pain when the body is at rest
• Referred pain or tenderness remote from trigger point
• Described as spreading or radiating sensation

A latent trigger point can cause:

• Restriction of movements
• Cause muscle weakness
• No spontaneous pain unless pressure is applied to the trigger point

The development of trigger points can come from acute trauma or repetitive minor injury.

The process of trigger point injections involves just that, injecting medication into the trigger point to manage the pain. The injection itself can be an anesthetic, a mixture of anesthetics, corticosteroid, a corticosteroid mixture with lidocaine, or even just the needle alone (also referred to as “dry needling”). TPIs can be used to treat fibromyalgia (also known as fibrosis), tension headaches, myofascial pain syndrome and a number of other conditions.

In most cases, when a patient has a single isolated trigger point, a single injection will resolve the pain. However, a trigger point that is caused by a chronic condition may reoccur due to other underlying problems. If this is the case, TPIs can be administered on a regular or as needed basis depending on the type of injection used for the treatment. Muscle therapy and strength training along with the injections can also help significantly in the process.

If you find yourself in chronic pain in certain points of your body, it may be time to check and see if you have a musculoskeletal disorder. At the Phoenix Family Medical Clinic, we utilize trigger point injections as a method to remedy these trigger points if other forms of pain relief do not help. Contact us today to see how we can rid you of this pain!

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