Trigger Point Injections Specialist

What are trigger points?

Trigger points are concentrated tense or painful areas of muscle that can occur in various areas of your body. The most common areas for trigger points to develop are your:

• Lower back
• Neck
• Arms
• Legs

It’s very hard to relax a muscle with a trigger point, and you might even feel a physical knot in the muscle when you rub it. They usually show up in muscles that you use frequently or repeatedly, but you can also get them if your muscles are tense from stress. 

What are trigger point injections?

Trigger point injections are a common and highly effective treatment for trigger points within muscles. The procedure takes place conveniently in the office at Interventional Pain Consultants and only takes a few minutes.

During the procedure, your provider locates the trigger points causing your pain or discomfort. They may press on your muscle to make sure they find the right place. Then, they inject a combination of numbing anesthetic and a steroid directly into the trigger point. You can get injections for multiple trigger points during the same appointment. 

How long does it take to notice results from trigger point injections?

The anesthetic within the trigger point injection is there to provide near-immediate relief. Because of it, you can experience at least some relief from your pain or discomfort the very same day. 

The steroid within the injection takes a bit longer to take effect, but it provides longer-lasting relief by reducing the inflammation contributing to your painful trigger point. Within 24-72 hours, you likely notice a significant difference. Still, it can take up to a week to experience complete relief. 

Immediately after the procedure, you can go back to using the muscle as you would normally. For the first few days, however, you should avoid particularly strenuous workouts and lifting heavy objects. 

If you don’t notice any difference during this time, you should let your provider at Interventional Pain Consultants know. They might recommend a different in-office treatment or oral medications. 

How long does the relief from trigger point injections last?

Getting a trigger point every once in a while is quite common for various reasons, but having many of them or recurring trigger points can indicate a condition called myofascial pain syndrome. Trigger points are its main symptom and can be hard to manage. 

If your trigger points tend to reappear, the pain relief from injections generally lasts for 3-6 months. You can book additional injections once the relief wears off and the trigger points reappear if you were happy with the level of relief from the procedure the first time. 

To relieve the knots in your muscles with trigger point injections, call Interventional Pain Consultants for a consultation or book online today.