CARE & TREATMENT IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY
Trigger point injections are a non-surgical pain management technique used to relieve localized muscle pain and myofascial pain. A trigger point is a small, sensitive area within a muscle that may cause referred pain, or pain that radiates to another part of the body. These tight bands of skeletal muscle are often felt as knots beneath the skin and may trigger muscle twitching, stiffness, or a burning sensation when pressed.
When conservative treatments like physical therapy, stretching, or pain medications fail, trigger point injections may provide effective relief. They involve injecting a local anesthetic, sometimes combined with corticosteroids, directly into the trigger point location. The goal is to inactivate trigger points, reduce inflammation, and restore normal muscle function so the muscle feels adequately relaxed.
Trigger points develop when muscle fibers become overly contracted due to overuse, acute trauma, repetitive stress, or postural strain. These hyperirritable spots often affect the most common muscle groups – including the neck, shoulders, lower back, and hips – and may also lead to referred pain patterns in areas not directly connected to the source.
For example, a myofascial trigger point in the shoulder may cause pain that radiates down the arm or into the chest. These symptoms can mimic other conditions, which is why it’s important that pain providers diagnose the correct source of discomfort.
Myofascial pain syndrome is a chronic condition that involves multiple active trigger points and is often associated with conditions like fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint pain, or tension headaches. Without targeted treatment, these trigger points affecting different areas may worsen over time and limit daily activities or range of motion.
You may be a candidate for point injections if you experience persistent localized pain that doesn’t improve with traditional therapies. Some patients find that their intense pain interferes with work, sleep, or exercise despite trying physical therapy or medications. In these cases, your spine specialist may recommend trigger point injections as part of a broader pain management plan.
Candidates often include individuals with:
Chronic muscle pain in the back, shoulders, or neck
Myofascial pain syndrome or fibromyalgia
Limited mobility due to muscle weakness or tension
Pain linked to a specific referred pain pattern
Recurring temporomandibular joint pain or tension headaches
Your care team will evaluate your trigger point location, assess pain severity, and determine if other conditions like herniated discs or spinal disorders are contributing to your symptoms.
In many cases, doctors will try to resolve pain without injections or other minimally invasive surgical options. These alternative treatments could resolve pain by more conservative means.
Medical professionals may first prescribe non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs to provide some temporary pain relief. Combining these medications with additional rehabilitative therapies can give patients the boost they need to strengthen muscles, make positive lifestyle changes, and avoid injections.
Heat therapy offers another mild treatment for trigger point pain. Applying heat therapy to the affected area for a prescribed duration each day can relax the muscles and tissues contributing to your pain. Some patients are able to achieve long-term pain relief with heat therapy.
Both physical therapists and chiropractors conduct massage therapy to relax the muscles and tissues surrounding trigger points. Along with musculoskeletal realignments, these techniques can relieve tension and strengthen natural healing.
Physical therapy includes stretches, exercises, and movement changes that contribute to a healthier alignment and strengthen muscles. Doctors might recommend physical therapy before you involve injections in your treatment plan. Your care providers may also recommend staying in physical therapy after injections to further strengthen problem areas and bolster long-term healing.
Before you receive a trigger point injection, your doctor will review your medical history and lifestyle. Chronic smokers and overweight individuals may need to make some lifestyle changes before receiving these treatments. Doctors will recommend these changes to optimize the efficacy of trigger point injections.
On the day of your injections, ensure you have someone ready to drive you home. Additionally, make sure your doctor remains aware of any other medications and current symptoms.
During your trigger point injection session, your doctor inserts a small needle with the medication in one to five problem areas. Repeated injections may be necessary to provide holistic pain relief.
In a study by Appasamy et al., 84% of patients received immediate pain relief after trigger point injections. As such, there’s a high chance you’ll notice immediate improvements after your doctor inserts the needle.
Most patients can expect long-term pain relief from these procedures. According to a study by Heier et al., 34 out of 35 participants experienced long-term pain relief from trigger point injections.
Most patients are able to resume their normal daily activities about a day after their treatment. However, easing back into your normal routine allows your body time to heal.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, trigger point injections should relieve pain anywhere from four weeks to several months. However, it’s important to note that in the Heier et al. study, five of the participants needed additional injections to sustain relief. Thus, you might need a couple of rounds of injections for long-lasting results.
While trigger point injections are effective, they are most successful when combined with other therapies. Physical therapy, heat therapy, and lifestyle adjustments help sustain relief by addressing the underlying causes of muscle tightness. Some patients may also benefit from massage or dry needling between injections.
In cases involving chronic musculoskeletal pain, your provider may recommend a series of treatments spaced over time to help manage long-term symptoms. The combination of medical and rehabilitative care can significantly improve quality of life and reduce reliance on systemic pain medications.
Trigger point injections offer patients with chronic pain many benefits. The main benefits of this procedure include:
Consult professionals from New York Spine Specialist to gain relief from your trigger point pain today.
While this treatment offers considerable benefits, there are also some drawbacks to note. The main risks of trigger point injections include:
Taking it easy and keeping the injection site clean after the procedure reduces the risks of adverse side effects.
Whether you’re suffering from sciatica pain or spinal stenosis, engaging in a trigger point injection regimen could significantly improve your pain and well-being. With the significant benefits of trigger point injections, you could restore your quality of life and kick chronic pain to the curb.
Visiting medical professionals at New York Spine Specialist could be the first step on your road to long-term pain relief. Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and PIP (personal injury protection). Same-day appointments may be available.
For more information about adding a trigger point injection regimen to your treatment plan, call (516) 355-0111 and request an appointment with care providers from New York Spine Specialist.
Below are some frequently asked questions about trigger point injection procedures in New York.
Trigger point injections are anesthetic medications with or without steroids that are inserted directly into pain trigger points in the body. These injections offer pain relief anywhere from four weeks to several months. Repeated procedures can contribute to long-term vitality and comfort.
Most patients will require multiple rounds of trigger point injections to attain long-term pain relief. You can determine the right timing for additional injections by monitoring your pain closely after each round.
You should get trigger point injections when your pain becomes unbearable or you have exhausted all other treatments. Consulting a medical professional can help you determine whether you qualify for trigger point injections.
To prepare for a trigger point injection, your doctor will review your medical history and might recommend certain lifestyle changes. Sustaining unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking could limit your ability to maximize the benefits of trigger point injections.
The primary indication for an epidural steroid injection is the relief of pain due to inflammation of the nerve elements in the epidural spaces of the spine. The purpose of using an injection is to place the medication as close to the pathologic process as possible in order to gain the best therapeutic benefit. The treatment is used to achieve a significant reduction in pain without the need for surgery. More than a single injection may be required in any given patient
Spine injection procedures have been employed in the management of patients with cervical, lumbar, and radicular pain syndromes for almost a century.
Three routes may be used in the lumbosacral spine:
The translaminar injection offers a potential advantage of delivering solutions directly into the epidural space and therefore closer to the source of pain, however, the medication is placed away from the disc, without any guarantees that it will flow to the front epidural space where the disc-nerve root pathology is occurring.
The transforaminal technique requires fluoroscopic guidance for precise needle placement. This technique is favored by some, because of the precision with which solutions can be delivered to a specific nerve root and the front location of the needle in the epidural space. If fluoroscopy is not available, generally the caudal route is preferable for disc pathology at the L5/S1 level and the translaminar route for lesions above this level.
We offer various spinal procedures that can potentially help your condition right away. Please give us a call and let us schedule you an appointment with one of our specialists today.
