Trigger Point Injections in Edmonton

Trigger points are painful knots in your muscles that can be very sensitive to touch and pressure. They may form after acute trauma or by repetitive micro-trauma, leading to stress on muscle fibers. It causes the muscle fibers to be stuck in a contracted state. Sometimes you can feel these knots when you rub your muscle.

Trigger point injections commonly involve injections of a dilute solution of local anesthetic mixed with magnesium, B12 and sometimes dextrose or ketorolac.

Please always eat a light meal and hydrate well before any injection therapy. For your safety, we do not do injections if you have an active infection. We encourage you to make your follow up appointment before you leave the clinic.

Trigger point injections are a common and generally safe way to treat myofascial pain caused by trigger points. Although the procedure can be temporarily painful, the injection can provide pain relief for a few days to a month if not longer.

The pain and tenderness in myofascial pain are typically due to one or more trigger points. To the touch, trigger points feel like small bumps, nodules or knots in your muscle.

Trigger points can develop in any muscle, but the most common muscle groups that are treated with trigger point injections include: masseter, temporalis, trapezius, rhomboids, sternocleidomastoid, levator scapulae, gluteal medius, thoracic and lumbar paraspinals.

Trigger points can cause certain types of pain or issues. For example, trigger points affecting your trapezius muscle may cause tension headaches. A trigger point affecting your piriformis muscle (a muscle in your buttocks) can cause piriformis syndrome, when the piriformis muscle presses on your sciatic nerve. It causes pain or numbness in your buttock and down the back of your leg.

A trigger point injection may be right for you if your trigger point pain has not improved with other treatments, including over-the-counter pain medication, heat therapy, massage therapy, myofascial release and physical therapy.

Trigger point injections are more successful when used alongside with physical therapy and stretching exercises to alleviate the pain.

This strategy can be particularly beneficial when a trigger point injection is initially used to reduce pain in people who are unable to do physical therapy or stretching due to intense pain. The trigger point injection can allow physical therapy to be more effective.

There is nothing you need to do to prepare for a trigger point injection. As with any type of treatment, it is important to discuss your current medications, symptoms and overall health with your provider before getting the procedure. You can expect the following during the procedure:

• ✦Depending on the trigger point location, you may be sitting or lying down on an exam table.
• ✦Your healthcare provider will cleanse your skin on the affected area with an alcohol pad.
• ✦Your provider may mark the trigger point. They may use an ultrasound machine to help locate the muscle.
• ✦Once your provider has identified the trigger point by feeling it, they will pinch the point between their fingers and stabilize the tissue. This may feel uncomfortable.
• ✦They will insert a thin needle attached to a syringe to inject into the trigger point.
• ✦You will likely feel your muscle spasm or twitch.
• ✦The procedure will be over, and you will be able to go home.

Trigger point injections are generally safe and carry a low risk of complications. The most common side effect is temporary discomfort or numbness around the injection site. You can also apply ice packs or heat to injection sites to reduce the risk of bruising. There is a 1:500,000 risk of pneumothorax if the needle penetrates too deeply into the lung. This is a rare occurrence.

Other complications of trigger point injections, which are rare, can include bleeding, infection, bruising, allergic reaction to the anesthetic agent, and vascular (vein) injury.