Trigger points can cause significant pain that interferes with your routines. At Triad Internal Medicine in Asheboro, North Carolina, Chelsea Poe, FNP, Kirstie Ferrell, FNP, and Keung Lee, MD, PhD, MHA, offer trigger point injections, a treatment that can help you function pain-free. Call or click today to get started.
Trigger points are areas of “knotted” muscle tissue. Researchers believe they develop after an acute trauma experience or from numerous smaller traumatic injuries sustained over time. Some people only develop a single trigger point, while others have multiple affected areas.
Understanding the signs of trigger points can help you know when to seek help. Some of the indications that you might have one or more trigger points include:
Trigger points commonly develop in the jaw, neck, hip, and lower back, although they can also occur in other areas of the body.
Trigger point injections work by delivering anesthetic medications directly into the affected tissue. Steroid medication is also sometimes included.
Just before the injection, your practitioner manipulates your skin and muscle tissue to identify the precise location of the trigger point. This process can be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t last long.
Your practitioner uses a thin needle to administer the injections. You’ll feel a pinch as the needle enters your skin, and you may experience some muscle twitching when the needle reaches the affected tissue. The entire treatment is complete in just a few moments.
There’s no need for any preparation when you come in for trigger point injections, and your practitioner can treat more than one area during the same visit.
You might notice improvement immediately, but the full results take 24-72 hours to develop. You can expect relief to last around a month. If your discomfort returns at that point, you can decide whether to come in for additional trigger point injections.
You won’t have to take any special precautions after your trigger point injections, and you can return to normal activities immediately after your appointment.
If you have additional questions or concerns about trigger point injections or other treatment options, schedule a face-to-face visit at your earliest convenience. You can call the office during normal business hours to schedule a visit or book an appointment on the online scheduling page.