Trigger Point Injections

Knotted, painful muscles that radiate constant pain may benefit from treatment with trigger point injections, which are designed to relieve pain and help the muscles relax. At Touch Stone Rehabilitation & Health Center in the Prince's Bay neighborhood of Staten Island, New York, their providers have years of experience in using injectable treatments such as trigger point injections to help people with chronic pain. To learn more about trigger point injections, call the office or request an appointment online today. 

What are trigger points?

Trigger points are knotted muscle fibers that can occur in any muscle, causing irritation of the surrounding nerves that leads to pain radiating out from the knot. You can feel a trigger point under the skin, where the muscle fibers form uncomfortable knots.

Some people develop trigger points sporadically, which they can manage with the benefit of physical therapy or massage. However, other people have trigger points that are chronically disabling and require trigger point injection therapy.

What are trigger point injections?

Trigger point injections are a treatment option for managing pain in patients who have trigger points in their muscles that cause chronic or debilitating pain. They’re also helpful for treating patients who have muscle tension because of chronic pain conditions, including:

• Fibromyalgia
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Chronic tension headaches

The injections contain corticosteroids and a local anesthetic to reduce inflammation and relieve the pain. You can receive trigger point injections wherever you have muscle pain, but the most common areas requiring treatment are the groups of muscles in the neck, lower back, arms, and legs.

What happens during the trigger point injection procedure?

The team at Touch Stone Rehabilitation & Health Center administers trigger point injection procedures in-office, so they’re a quick and convenient form of treatment. You may need several injections during one treatment session, depending on the severity of your symptoms and how many trigger points you have. The injections only take a couple of minutes to complete, using a very fine needle to keep discomfort to a minimum.

After the injections, pressure on the muscle helps it to relax. You may find the injection site feels a little sore after you have a trigger point injection, but this should wear off after a few days. You can go home and carry on as normal, but avoid strenuous activities after treatment.

You should experience immediate relief from the trigger point pain as the anesthetic takes effect; the length of time the injection lasts can vary considerably between patients, and you may need further trigger point injections in the future to maintain the results.

If you have painful, knotted muscles or chronic pain that affects your soft tissues, trigger point injections could provide you with some much-needed relief. Call Touch Stone Rehabilitation & Health Center to schedule a consultation, or book an appointment online today.