Trigger point injections.
Muscle pain is a sore and aching feeling in the muscles. There is no specific reason for muscle pain. It can occur because of various reasons, be it the wrong sleeping position or inappropriate body posture.
Now, most of the time, the pain subsides with time. However, chronic muscle pain that persists for a long time restricts the free body movement. Pain becomes unbearable and calls for methods to relieve it.
Doctors use Trigger point Injections to treat chronic muscle pain in the musculoskeletal system.
What are the trigger points?
They are irritable spots in our skeletal muscles. It occurs in the rhomboid and trapezius back muscles of our body and is concentrated in the upper back and shoulder region. However, it may extend up to the lower back region.
Now, Trigger points are painful knots formed when the muscles don’t relax. At times, you can even feel these knots under the skin. These points are located in the palpable nodules of the muscle. They are tender and causes pain when pushed. Compression of these points may also elicit twitch response or referred pain. Lastly, trigger points can also appear in tendons, ligaments, scar tissues apart from muscles.
Trigger point injection resolves these muscle spasms and helps in relieving pain.
What is the trigger point injection?
It is a method of treating chronic muscle pain in our bodies. The physician or doctor would inject these injections directly into trigger points. These points are tender, and caution is practiced while injecting them appropriately.
These injections may include an anesthetic, corticosteroid, or combination of both. The medicines block the pain receptors and reduce the inflammation and swelling around the nerve. At times, the doctor performs a dry needle technique to alleviate pain. That is to say; it makes use of no anesthetic or steroids. It’s merely injecting a sterile dry needle in the trigger point.
Before starting with the procedure, the doctor conducts an assessment of trigger points. They would examine the signs, symptoms, pain patterns, and twitch response to a trigger point. At times even ultrasound is used to find trigger points. The course of treatment varies for each patient. However, brief therapy can help in reducing the pain substantially.
When to use Trigger point injection?
When the pain doesn’t subside within days or weeks, it becomes essential to address it. Trigger points help relieve disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
- Fibromyalgia.
It causes widespread, systematic pain in our spine. It affects the ability of the brain to process sensory information. Patients are sensitive to touch that other causes chronic pain. In this, people suffer from fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, etc. Injections help in reducing these pain symptoms to a great extent.
- Tension headaches.
Trigger points in the neck, shoulder, and head cause a chronic headache. It can also result in a migraine. It usually subsides with time. However, some patients may seek treatment for frequent tension headaches.
- Myofascial pain syndrome.
It involves pain in the tissue that surrounds the muscle. A person experiences pain in a specific part of the muscle, which intensifies with movement. That is to say, stretching or moving affected muscles can cause unbearable pain. It limits the range of motion and blocks the nerve pathway.
Now, various reasons may be responsible for such syndrome. It includes psychological stress, poor posture, injury, or trauma on muscle and repetitive motions. A trigger point injection relaxes the affected muscles and relieves the pain.
This treatment helps treat muscle groups of the arm, leg, lower back, and shoulder. The result of this treatment varies from person to person. However, it does offer instant pain relief.
Does it have any side effects?
This treatment is usually safe and doesn’t cause any severe implications. However, there are certain limitations you need to consider.
- The fine gauge needles usually cause no pain. However, you may experience numb, sore feeling after the treatment.
- The injection may leave a dent on the skin because of shrinking fat underneath.
- If the needles aren’t sterile, it can cause infection. Always ensure that a doctor uses fresh needles in the treatment.
- One may experience slight dizziness or lightheadedness after the treatment. However, it is very rare.
- Lastly, there may be slight bruises or bleeding because of needle invasion.
All in all, the side effects won’t put you at risk.
Is it effective?
Yes, it is useful in treating chronic pain conditions. It specifically includes fibromyalgia, Myofascial pain syndrome, and tension headaches. However, the treatment may not show any effect on some patients.
All in all, the result varies with each patient. Some may achieve immediate results, and for others, it may take certain treatments before they see a result.
Conclusively, we can say that Trigger point injection is a ray of hope for people suffering from muscle pain. It is a safe treatment when administered by a trained doctor or physicist.