What Are Trigger Point Injections and How Can They Help Muscle Pain?
If you have persistent muscle pain, you may have heard about trigger point injections. But what exactly are they, and how do you know whether they are appropriate for your pain?
Trigger point injections are a treatment used for selected areas of tight, sensitive muscle that contribute to myofascial pain. A trained medical professional places a needle into the identified muscle area and may inject a small amount of an appropriate solution. The goal is to help reduce the muscle tension and pain associated with that trigger point.
However, finding the right muscle to treat is important. The place where you feel pain is not always the place where the problem begins.
What Is a Trigger Point?
A trigger point is a sensitive area within a muscle. It can be painful when pressed and can contribute to stiffness, restricted movement or pain that is felt somewhere else in the body.
For example, a person may feel discomfort around the shoulder while a muscle in the neck, chest or upper back is contributing to the problem. Lower back pain can also involve muscles around the abdomen, hips, pelvis or legs.
This is one reason treating only the painful spot does not always provide lasting improvement. The painful muscle may be working harder because another part of the body is not moving well.
What Happens During a Trigger Point Injection?
Before performing an injection, the clinician assesses your symptoms, medical history and movement. The area is examined to identify tight or sensitive muscles that may be contributing to the problem.
During the procedure, the skin is cleaned and a fine needle is carefully placed into the selected muscle tissue. The exact technique and solution used depend on the clinician's assessment and the individual patient.
You may feel pressure, a brief sting, aching or a muscle twitch during treatment. Experiences vary according to the muscle being treated, the sensitivity of the area and the treatment required.
Why Does Movement Testing Matter?
At myoClinic, I look at how the body moves before deciding where treatment is needed. I may ask a patient to turn, bend, reach or perform another simple movement. I look for restriction, discomfort and compensation.
If one muscle is not doing its share of the work, the body recruits other muscles to help. This is useful in the short term because it allows you to keep moving. Over time, however, the helper muscles can become overloaded, tight and painful.
Movement testing provides information about which muscles may be underworking, restricted or compensating. It helps us look beyond the painful location instead of assuming that the sorest spot is always the source of the problem.
What Types of Pain May Be Treated?
Trigger point injections may be considered when myofascial muscle tension is contributing to symptoms such as:
Persistent neck or shoulder pain
Upper or lower back pain
Hip or buttock pain
Muscle-related headaches
Localized muscle aching or tightness
Restricted or uncomfortable movement
Pain that continues despite other conservative treatments
These symptoms can also have causes unrelated to trigger points. An assessment is necessary before deciding whether injections are suitable. Trigger point injections are not the right treatment for every person or every type of pain.
How Quickly Do Trigger Point Injections Work?
Responses vary. Some people notice a change soon after treatment, while others need time for the area to settle. The result can depend on how long the problem has been present, the number of muscles involved, the patient's overall health and whether movement patterns continue to overload the area.
Treatment is not only about making a painful spot feel better temporarily. The larger goal is to improve how the body is functioning and reduce the pattern that caused certain muscles to become overworked.
What Should You Expect Afterwards?
Temporary tenderness or bruising can occur after trigger point injections. Follow the aftercare instructions provided by your clinician. At myoClinic, patients are generally encouraged to rest from aggressive exercise while continuing with comfortable daily movement during the initial recovery period.
Contact your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms that concern you or are more severe than the expected post-treatment response. Your own clinician's instructions should always take priority because aftercare can vary according to the treatment performed and your health history.
What Can You Do Between Appointments?
Trigger point injections can be one part of managing persistent myofascial pain. What happens between appointments also matters. Learning how your body moves, changing positions regularly and using appropriate self-treatment techniques can help you participate more actively in your care.
I created the myoMassage app to make the movement-testing principles I use more accessible at home. The app guides you through simple movement tests and shows you which soft-tissue areas to work on based on what you find. It also includes guidance for using tools such as a massage gun safely.
The app is educational and does not replace an examination, diagnosis or medical treatment. New or worsening pain, significant weakness, numbness or tingling, fever, unexplained weight loss, symptoms following an injury, or changes in bladder or bowel control require medical assessment.
You can try myoMassage free for 30 days:
https://myomassage.myoclinic.ca/
A Movement-First Approach to Persistent Muscle Pain
Trigger point injections are not simply about placing a needle where it hurts. A careful assessment helps identify how different areas of the body may be contributing to the pain.
At myoClinic in Brentwood Bay, I use movement testing and myoActivation principles to assess persistent myofascial pain before determining whether trigger point injections are appropriate. This approach has developed through more than 40,000 patient visits involving chronic and complex muscle pain.
If you are experiencing persistent pain, speak with an appropriate healthcare professional about the possible causes and the treatment options suited to you. Patients attending myoClinic require a referral.
