Trigger Point Injections:
Muscle Pain & Spasm

Trigger point injections can relieve those tight, painful knots in muscles. Trigger points (TPs) are generally very painful to the touch, and will radiate pain in a predictable pattern.

Overuse or a sudden injury can cause TPs. They are really common in athletes, especially runners! Other things that cause them include poor posture, muscle injuries, or repetitive motions. They can also show up after joint injuries as the surrounding muscle tries to ‘protect’ the injured joint.

TPs cause decreased range of motion in the muscle. Most commonly, they are found in the muscles that maintain our posture, such as those in the neck, shoulders, hips and buttocks, as well as the leg muscles in runners.

TPs and their resulting pain can greatly affect sleep and overall quality of life, and may predispose athletes/active people to injury if they are not resolved. The chronically spasmed muscle becomes deprived of blood and becomes even more irritated and damaged. TPs are sustained in a cycle as the spasm causes pain, which in turn causes more spasm, and on and on.

TPs may also manifest as tension headache, ringing in the ear, TMJ (jaw) pain, decreased range of motion in the legs, and low back pain.

If you have a very tender, tight 'knot' in your muscle, you probably have TPS. If you push on the point, it will create pain in another area of your body. The muscle may also 'twitch' if enough pressure is applied in the right area.

Trigger point injections are one of the most effective treatment modalities to inactivate trigger points and provide prompt relief of symptoms.

TPs can be rapidly inactivated by introducing a small needle into the center of the irritable muscle band; at this time a very small amount of a natural pain reliever is injected. This process serves two purposes:

1. The needle is thought to physically interrupt the spasmed muscle, inducing it to relax.

2. The pain reliever is thought to assist the irritated muscle in relaxing; it lowers the threshold at which the muscle is able to contract, keeping it from spasming again.

Minor discomfort in the form of muscle twitching or unpleasant sensation as the needle contacts the taught muscle may occur. A coolant spray is applied to the skin prior to injecting to numb the skin against needle pain, making this a relatively painless experience. Trigger points and their resulting pain can be resolved in 3-4 sessions, typically.

Keeping the muscles soft and "squishy" is important for preventing muscle pain and the development of trigger points. Magnesium is a mineral that acts as a very gentle, natural muscle relaxer; it is often deficient in our diets. Vitamin B-6 helps to move the magnesium into the muscles where it is needed. We have all of our patients, especially those getting trigger point injections in Fort Collins on a combination of these two nutrients.

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