Diagnostic Ultrasound
Diagnostic ultrasound helps provide visible, high-resolution images of injured areas without using radiation or causing patients further discomfort. Ultrasound imaging is safe and noninvasive. Musculoskeletal ultrasound is always comfortable for patients and can be used as many times as necessary. Musculoskeletal ultrasound improves accuracy of treatments, helping to differentiate muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and nerves. It is extremely useful to locate the precise injured area.
Patients find it very helpful to see these areas of the body in recognizing areas of pain. When being treated for severe chronic pain, there is a higher rate of accuracy and comfort during the injection.
What is a Trigger Point?
A trigger point is a knot in the muscle that is not relaxed and is very sensitive to touch. When pressure is applied to the trigger point, the patient will feel some pain at the point of touch. The patient may also feel some pain in another part of the body. This is called the target zone. The injection medication contains a long acting pain reliever. Sometimes it is mixed with a steroid solution for pain management.
What is a Trigger Point Injection?
Trigger Point Injection – is a procedure which can be utilized to treat muscle pain in the areas where knots or trigger points are located. Usually you can identify knots as bulges felt under the skin whereas trigger points tend to cause nerve irritation around them and translate into pain felt in other parts of the body.
What does the Procedure Look Like?
During the trigger point injection, a small needle is inserted into patient’s trigger point containing a local anesthetic, saline or corticosteroid. The injection de-actives the trigger point which in result brings pain relief. Often times, even a short course of trigger injection treatments bring a major pain relief. Moreover, the procedure itself takes only a few minutes and can be done in a physician’s office. A patient may have several places injected during one visit. In case of patient’s allergy to any of the drugs, a dry-needle technique, which contains no medications, may be utilized.
When to Consider a Trigger Point Injection?
Trigger Point Injection may be a solution to pain in the following muscle groups: arms, legs, neck and lower back. Additionally, Trigger point Injections are commonly used to treat fibromyalgia as well as tension headaches. Another condition where trigger point injection can be applied is myofascial pain syndrome which can be characterized by chronic pain involving tissue surrounding the muscle.