WHAT IS IT?
Trigger point is an area of muscle tissue that is irritable due to trauma or overuse. Sometimes trigger point pain can be secondary to a deeper underlying pain source. To treat the pain, injection of local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory are placed into the area of tender muscle. The injection can relieve muscle spasms in the area. These injections can be performed multiple times, and between 2 and 4 injections can be performed per visit. The pain relief from the injection is maximized with concurrent use of physical therapy.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
There may be some bruising and swelling after the procedure and into the next day, and the patient may experience more pain for the first day or two. There is some risk of bleeding and infection, and a small chance of a small puncture in the lung (pneumonothorax) if the injection is done in the chest region.