If you have a band of muscles that knots up and just won’t relax, it can make you miserable and even make your everyday activities difficult. Those knots, also called trigger points, aggravate nearby nerves and cause a variety of frustrating symptoms, including a constant dull ache, searing pain, a burning sensation, tingling, and numbness.
At Pinnacle Health Chiropractic, Jason Ablett, DC, uses a variety of methods — including trigger point injections — to subdue your muscle pain and help relax your trigger points, which are often linked to these distressing conditions:
If you suffer from a chronic condition that causes your muscles to cramp and spasm, consider these five ways trigger point injections can alleviate pain.
One of the key ingredients in trigger point injections is lidocaine, a local anesthetic that numbs your problem area. Lidocaine blocks your nerve signals to give you instant relief from your pain. In many cases, just one trigger point injection unlocks the muscle, but some chronic conditions may require ongoing injection therapy.
Because your trigger point involves taut bands of contracted muscle, it’s not uncommon for your muscles to twitch or spasm uncomfortably. When Dr. Ablett administers a trigger point injection at the precise spot of your knotted muscle, you get relief from the fatigue and pain caused by the spasm. Sometimes, even contact with the needle itself helps relax the muscle.
In addition to eliminating active muscle spasms, a trigger point injection loosens and relaxes the muscle, improving your function and range of motion. This helps fend off future painful contractions and cramps.
Inflammation is one of the first and best ways your body lets you know it's injured. That’s why your trigger point is so inflamed. Another active ingredient in your trigger point injection is a corticosteroid. Widely prescribed by doctors for a variety of inflammatory conditions, corticosteroids decrease the swelling and inflammation.
When a nerve is trapped, as it is in carpal tunnel syndrome and other conditions, it gives you a pins-and-needles feeling. The tissue around your muscles, called fascia, can also stick to itself and cause ongoing misery.
A trigger point injection deploys saline to the area to make space around it and between the muscle and connective tissue. This relieves your pain and restores better function.
Trigger point injections are a safe, effective way to address muscle pain. Make an appointment today to find out more about how Dr. Ablett and the Pinnacle Health Chiropractic team can help alleviate your trigger point pain by calling the office or booking online.
