What is a trigger point injection?

This injection is done for painful muscles called trigger points. Trigger points are muscle knots or bands that cause muscle spasms and are painful when pressed on. Trigger point injections can help the muscle spasms relax and stop causing pain. 

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Who is a candidate for trigger point injections?

Those that could benefit from trigger point injections have symptoms that include:

• Muscle pain or tenderness when the muscle is pressed on

• Feeling a knot or "taut band" in the muscle that is tender

• Achy, burning pain

• Spasms

• Decreased range of motion when turning the neck

• Muscle stiffness in the low back

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What are some of the conditions that these injections are used for?​

• Myofascial Pain

• Fibromyalgia

• Neck Pain

• Low Back Pain

• Headaches

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What to expect during the procedure?

Painful muscles are identified by pressing on select muscles around the region where the pain is coming from. The muscles that cause the worst pain when pressed on are the ones that will be injected. After these muscles have been found, a numbing medication is injected through a thin needle to relax the spasming muscle. Depending on the extent of the trigger point, a powerful anti-inflammatory steroid can be mixed with the numbing medication to provide additional pain relief. 

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For more information or to discuss an appropriate treatment plan for your muscle pain with one of our specialized pain management physicians, call Saint Louis Spine and Joint Pain Specialists today.

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