Trigger Point Injections

Trigger point injection (TPI) is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle that contain trigger points or muscular knots/spasms that form when muscles do not relax. Many times, these can be felt under the skin. Trigger points may irritate the nerves around them, causing referred pain or pain that is felt in another part of the body.

Multiple trigger points can be targeted during one treatment. With the injection, the trigger point is made inactive, and the pain is alleviated. This is often effective with a brief course of treatment, which can result in sustained relief. TPI is used to treat various muscle groups, including those in the arms, legs, lower back, and neck. This technique is also used to alleviate pain caused by myofascial pain syndrome, chronic pain involving tissue that surrounds muscle that does not always respond well to other treatments.

After the injection, patients usually feel some instant relief. Usually the relief will last about 4-10 hours and after that you may feel some tenderness and soreness.  It’s recommended to stretch the muscle and use some ice on the area. Within 1-2 days, the soreness should grow fainter, and the trigger point relief should last. There should be less pain than before the treatment.

Trigger point injections are a safe and effective method of pain relief caused by muscle spasms. These injections can be repeated often and only require a short office visit.