About the treatment
Trigger point injections (TPI) are a minimally invasive procedure option used to treat myofascial/muscle pain. Trigger points are essentially knots or spasms within muscles that can form because of stress or inability to relax. In some cases trigger points can become so severe they begin to irritate nearby nerves and cause shooting pain down the extremities. Trigger point injections are performed in an exam room by your preferred physician. Target areas are found with manual palpation and typically marked with a skin pen. The skin to be injected is then cleaned with alcohol and prepped for the procedure. A sterile mixture of local anesthetic and in some cases a corticosteroid are injected into targeted areas to relieve muscle tension and provide pain relief.
A contrast dye will then be injected into the area to further ensure correct needle placement. As correct placement is confirmed, the doctor will inject a corticosteroid–anesthetic medication mixture into the area. This part of the procedure typically takes around five minutes to complete.
Patients typically experience some immediate pain relief from the local anesthetic used, which may wear off after several hours. If a corticosteroid is used, longer-term pain relief can take up to two weeks to take full effect. TPI is a simple, low-risk procedure; however; side effects can include nausea, dizziness, or soreness at the injection sites, which should wear off after a few days. Patients may require more than one session of injections to alleviate their myofascial pain symptoms fully. Schedule an appointment with your Desert Pain Specialists provider for more information on trigger point injections.