Trigger point injections are a procedure used to treat the areas of muscle that are in pain and contain trigger points, or knots of muscle that are created when muscles cannot relax. It is possible to feel these knots under the skin. It is fairly common that trigger points irritate the nerves around them and cause a pain that is felt in another part of the body, known as a referred pain. Our Edgewater, FL team has found the some patient complaints respond very well to this form of treatment.
The trigger point injection procedure consists of a injecting a solution through a small needle into the patient’s trigger point problem area. The solution contains a local anesthetic and a substance called sarapin. A pitcher plant extract (Sarapin) is given as an injection. Sarapin is a grandfathered FDA-approved prescription product. Healthcare providers inject Sarapin for relieving pain in the back, neck, and other locations in the body.
When injected, the trigger point is made inactive and the pain is alleviated. Usually, a brief course of treatment will result in sustained relief. Injections are given in a doctor’s office and usually take just a few minutes. Several sites may be injected in one visit. If a patient has an allergy to a certain medication, a dry-needle technique (involving no medications) can be used.
Trigger point injection is used to treat many muscle groups, especially those in the arms, legs, lower back, and neck. In addition, trigger point injection can be used to treat fibromyalgia and tension headaches. Trigger point injection is also used to alleviate myofascial pain syndrome (chronic pain involving tissue that surrounds muscle) that does not respond to other treatments. However, the effectiveness of trigger point injections for treating myofascial pain is still under study