How to Treat Chronic Muscle Pain with Trigger Point Injections

Most people are accustomed to stiffness and muscle pain because of their lifestyle. Because of this, most people tend to remain unaware of the numerous treatment options that can be used to help with chronic muscle tension. Trigger point injection, or TPI, is a little-known therapy that is growing in popularity to help with chronic muscle tension.

What is TPI?

Trigger points are often referred to as muscle knots. They are areas in the muscle tissue that are localized and hyper-irritable and typically develop from repetitive movement or microtrauma’s. These result in muscles that have a tense base. You can usually feel the muscle knots under the skin. They can often cause pain in the area as well as irritate the nerves surrounding them, thus causing pain in other areas of the body. These trigger points can also cause problems such as tension headaches and affect the muscles in the shoulders, neck, and lower back. You can enjoy prompt relief from trigger point injections as they inactivate the trigger points.

How does TPI work?

At Redding Sports Therapy & Chiropractor in Redding TPI is done with a local anesthetic solution, and if necessary, a combination of homeopathic injectable and/or saline is injected directly into the muscle at the trigger point to relax it and stop the pain. This helps to restore the blood flow to the area and flush out the metabolites that irritate the muscle.

The good thing is that TPI’s can be used to treat many groups of muscles, especially those in the neck, lower back, legs, and arms. It can also be used to ease myofascial pain, tension headaches, migraines, and help with fibromyalgia treatments. If you have an open wound, it is not recommended that you have a TPI. There are some allergens that may keep you from being a candidate for TPI as well.

The TPI Procedure at RST & Chiropractor 

Once the chiropractor identifies the areas of muscle tenderness, the solution for the treatment is injected using a small needle into the trigger point. Depending on your situation, you may receive several injections in one visit. It only takes a few minutes to inject the solution. After TPI, you may feel some mild pain or have slight twitching in your muscles that lasts up to a few minutes. It may also leave your injection site tender. Most chiropractors will suggest physical therapy and stretching exercises after your TPI treatments. Generally, the injections are given once or twice a week for a month. After that time, you may need a monthly treatment as maintenance.

If you need relief from trigger points in your muscles, a trigger point injection may be what the doctor ordered. It can give you relief of your symptoms and help break the pattern of chronic pain associated with muscle tension. TPI is often complemented with other therapies such as physical rehab, chiropractic, and massage programs. If you are having issues with trigger points, talk with your chiropractor today.