If you’ve been struggling with muscle pain, tension, or even chronic headaches, you should know about your treatment options — especially trigger point injections. They can provide effective relief by targeting specific areas in your muscles.
Our expert team at University Pain Medicine Center understands your pain and offers trigger point injections as a remedy to give you the relief you need and deserve. Let’s look at what this treatment can do, the conditions it can treat, and what you can expect after undergoing this procedure.
Understanding trigger point injections
Trigger point injections are a minimally invasive procedure. We inject a local anesthetic, sometimes combined with a corticosteroid, into the trigger points of your muscles. These trigger points are knots or tight bands of muscle fibers in your body that can cause you pain and discomfort.
Conditions trigger point injections can treat
Trigger point injections can be a suitable treatment for various conditions, including:
Muscle pain
If you’ve been experiencing persistent muscle pain, trigger point injections can help alleviate discomfort by relaxing the tight knots in your muscles.
Myofascial pain syndrome
This condition involves the development of trigger points in your muscles and connective tissues, resulting in localized or referred pain. Trigger point injections can be beneficial in managing this syndrome.
Fibromyalgia
Trigger point injections can be a part of the treatment plan for fibromyalgia, a chronic condition characterized by widespread muscle pain and tenderness.
Headaches
Tension headaches and migraines can often be triggered by muscle tension in your head, neck, and shoulders. Targeted trigger point injections in these areas can relieve your headache pain.
Expectations after your trigger point injections
After your procedure, here’s what you can expect:
Immediate relief
Many individuals experience immediate relief following trigger point injections. The anesthetic numbs the area and relaxes your muscles, significantly reducing pain and tension.
Temporary soreness
It’s common to experience some soreness or tenderness at the injection site for a day or two. But don’t worry — this discomfort is usually mild and can be managed with over-the-counter pain medications or a cold pack.
Gradual improvement
Over the next few days or weeks, you should experience a gradual improvement in your symptoms. The injections work to release the tension in your muscles, allowing them to relax and heal.
The potential need for repeat injections
Sometimes, a single round of trigger point injections may be sufficient to provide long-lasting relief. However, depending on the severity of your condition, we might recommend additional injections for optimal results.
Additional self-care strategies
Alongside trigger point injections, we may recommend specific self-care strategies to complement your treatment. These may include stretching exercises, heat or ice therapy, stress management techniques, and lifestyle modifications.
If you’ve been living with muscle pain, tension, or headaches, trigger point injections might be the very thing that gives you the immediate and long-term benefits you’ve been looking for. We work with you to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that suits your needs and helps you reclaim a pain-free life.
To learn more or to book an appointment to find out if trigger point injections are right for you, call our team today or click here to schedule your visit.