Trigger Point Injection
If you are feeling persistent muscle discomfort, your doctor may recommend a trigger point injection. Muscle discomfort can be debilitating and keep you from your job and other daily activities. At BEST, we take pride in our patient care model and strive to put the needs of the patient first while taking into consideration factors such as the lifestyle a patient may lead.
A trigger point is a point in the muscles that has a “knot” which forms when a muscle does not relax. This can irritate nerves and cause pain. The purpose of this procedure it to treat painful symptoms.
What is a Trigger Point Injection
A trigger point injection can help soothe myofascial pain, especially in your neck, shoulder, arms, legs, and lower back.
Trigger points are painful “knots” in your muscles that can be very sensitive to touch/pressure. They may form after acute trauma or by repetitive micro-trauma, leading to stress on muscle fibers. It causes the muscle fibers to remain in a state of contraction. Sometimes you can feel these knots when you rub your muscle.
Trigger point injections commonly involve injections of local anesthetic with or without corticosteroid, botulinum toxin, or without any injection substance (dry needling).
Trigger point injections commonly treat the following:
- Muscle strain.
- Structural causes of pain.
- Issues with your spinal column causing back pain, such as degenerative arthritis, a herniated disk, or spinal stenosis.
- Radiculopathy (pain from a pinched nerve).
What to Expect
In the TPI procedure, a healthcare professional inserts a small needle into the patient’s trigger point. The injection contains a local anesthetic or saline and may include a corticosteroid. With the injection, the trigger point is made inactive in order to alleviate the pain. Often, a brief course of treatment will result in sustained relief. Injections are given in a doctor’s office and usually take just a few minutes. Several sites may be injected in one visit. If a patient has an allergy to a certain drug, a dry-needle technique (involving no medications) can be used.
Trigger Point Injections at BEST
Patients at BEST Health System have access to a variety of health services including trigger point injections. In addition to these services, we offer a range of other options of treatment such as conservative treatment, therapies, surgical procedures, pain management, and diagnostic imaging services.
If you are recommended for a trigger point injection to help alleviate muscle discomfort, BEST can help. If you require further care for any debilitating muscle discomfort BEST offers an array of services performed by our board-certified surgeons. Our minimally invasive procedures typically employ an incision that is less than an inch. This allows for a faster recovery, eliminated the need for an overnight hospital stay, and reduces overall risks and complications.
To learn more about what BEST has to offer, feel free to contact us today!
Procedure Doctors
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