Understanding Trigger Points
What are Trigger points?
Trigger points are certain spots within a band of skeletal muscle that relay pain or a tingling sensation from one area in the body to another. These knots of muscles are created when muscles are unable to relax, irritating surrounding nerves and causing pain. They usually form because of an injury, repetitive stress, or a musculoskeletal disorder.
To treat these muscle knots, trigger point injection (TPI) therapy is used. This is a non-invasive and non-surgical procedure that helps alleviate the chronic pain caused by trigger points.
How Do Trigger Point Injections Work?
In the TPI treatment procedure, a small needle is inserted into the patient’s specific trigger point. The injection comprises a local anesthetic that relaxes the knot of muscles and makes it inactive. As the tightness of the muscles is gradually released, the pain caused by them is alleviated. Patients experience instant pain relief after being injected.
TPI therapy is a short procedure and requires only a few minutes. Depending on the severity of the pain and the site being injected, multiple sessions may be required for the results to take full effect. In this case, the sessions are scheduled 1–2 weeks apart and lead to a significant reduction in muscle pain.