Trigger Point Injections

Trigger point injections are administered to ease painful muscle knots in muscles or trigger points in the fascia tissue that surrounds muscles. The relatively simple injection procedure takes only a handful of minutes to complete and can provide fast, significant pain relief when accurately administered.

What Are Trigger Points?

Trigger points, frequently referred to as “muscle knots,” are essentially small nodules of sensitive or irritated tissue located in muscles, especially taut muscles.

Trigger points can occur due to a variety of potential injuries or repetitive motions. They generally form due to stress on the affected muscle fibers. Patients may experience a number of symptoms if they have developed a trigger point, but persistent local pain and a reduced range of motion in the affected muscle are most common.

Some factors that might contribute to the formation of trigger points include:

  • Injuries from falls
  • Sedentary lifestyles
  • Poor posture
  • Microtraumas from muscle overuse (excessive exercising, especially strength training)
  • Stress
  • Vitamin deficiencies
  • Hypermobility or other joint issues

Your orthopaedist may be able to pinpoint the trigger point by palpating the muscle and finding a nodule, or knot, of muscle that’s harder than the surrounding tissue.

A skilled physicians experienced with locating trigger points will be looking for a number of specific reactions while palpating the region. Patients might experience an extreme local twitch response, involuntarily jerking movement or even referred pain (pain in another part of the body) when the doctor locates the trigger point.

You might experience discomfort during the trigger point diagnosis, but your orthopaedists will be able to quickly treat the trigger point once it is located.

Once your orthopaedist has found the precise location of the trigger point it’s generally just a matter of performing a trigger point injection to release the knotted muscle nodule. There are other potential treatment options, such as ultrasonography or the Spray and Stretch technique, but trigger point injections are frequently the best way to deliver fast relief to a patient suffering from trigger point pain.

 

What’s in a Trigger Point Injection?

Trigger point injections are often compromised of a corticosteroid and an anesthetic. The skin of the injection site might be treated with a topical anesthetic to minimize pain during the injection. Once the injection is performed your doctor will want to observe you to ensure your pain is relieved and you’re suffering no ill effects from the injection. Post-injection pain is generally minimal and can be managed with over-the-counter pain medications and anti-inflammatories.

Are You or a Loved One Experiencing Trigger Point Pain?

Trigger point pain can be agonizing. If you have developed a trigger point you will likely realize quickly that you need to seek medical attention. Orthopaedic doctors with extensive experience diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions and administering pain management injections are generally the best medical professionals to seek out for trigger point treatments.

You can schedule an appointment at our Marietta or Carrollton offices by calling 770-421-1420.