Trigger Points

A trigger point is a portion of the muscle that has become a source of pain and spasm. It usually can be felt as a tender nodule or band and may cause pain elsewhere. Dr Janet Travell showed that trigger points occur in predictable patterns for every muscle in the body. Two (2) common ones are trapezius and piriformis.
Hence, injecting a trigger point can help to eliminate it. Without injection, it may last weeks, months or become chronic.

What is the injection like?

While the trigger point is being injected, you may briefly experience the same pain that has been aching. This pain may be quite sharp, but very brief. Immediately afterward, there’s often a marked reduction in the typical pain pattern. There may also be more freedom of movement of the involved muscles with less stiffness. It may need a series of injections to eliminate it completely.

Massage or exercises to stretch the involved muscle/s are also beneficial.

Are there any side effects?

Overall, this is a procedure with minimal risks, although no invasive procedure is totally risk free. Potential adverse effects include temporary muscle soreness, infection, bleeding, weakness in the injected muscles up to 45 minutes (rare), or partial collapse of the lung (extremely rare) when the injected muscle is near the lung.