What are Trigger Point Injections?

 TRIGGER POINT Injections

DID YOU KNOW?

Trigger Point Injections are provided by a medical doctor or a Nurse Practitioner and are used simultaneously within our Myofascial Trigger Point Hands-on Therapy.

It is best to combine both modalities to ensure full rehabilitation of dysfunctional muscle fibers.

Trigger points remain the most widely overlooked source of muscle problems and pain.

When activated, these contracted bands of muscle tissue can lead to widely differing pain symptoms, along with weakness, numbness and tingling, and reduced range of motion.

When properly identified, addition of our Trigger Point Therapy solution , the Trigger Point Injections  bring fluid volume into the tight fiber bundles, and this will allow the fibers to relax. Then the application of the myofascial trigger point therapy release techniques, the painful fibers are relaxed and encouraged to return to their fully lengthened state. This reduces pain, and restores full Range of Motion.

What are trigger points and how does Trigger Point Injections help them go away and reduce my pain?

Trigger points can occur in any muscle of the body, typically in the muscle belly, where the muscle meets it's tendon, or in places we have chronic, long-held muscle tension.  When activated, trigger points typically replicate a pattern of pain or sensation that is recognizable by the patient. These referred patterns have been

mapped by Dr. Janet Travell and Dr. David Simons.

What is your most common muscle to use Trigger Point Injections in?

Pictured here is the trigger point pain pattern of the Levator Scapulae Muscle. 

This muscle is one of our most frequently injected muscles. It is a source of neck and shoulder pain in probably 75% of our patients. 

One of our doctors will press on the area indicated by the "x" marks in the illustration, and a simple application of 1cc of our Trigger Point Injection solution will be injected into the tight muscle fibers. Once any other muscles are identified and injected, your Myofascial Triger Point Therapist will apply trigger point myofascial release techniques to normalize muscle fiber resting lenght and restore full pain-free function


How do I get these trigger points in this muscle? You may be an office worker who slouches at his desk and unconsciously and/ or  holds her shoulders up even just a quarter-inch for an extended period of time. This low-level, but long-held muscle tension can activate trigger points due to long-held low-threshold muscular effort. Overuse and emotional/life stress can also lead to trigger point issues.


What are all the steps of the Trigger Point Protocol?

Here is an excellent article to explain the full and complete Trigger Point Protocol: Click on the title and it will load on your computer as a PDF.

Mary Biancalana's article on 7-step Trigger Point Protocol

Referred Pain

When a trigger point is activated, it can refer pain or many types of sensation in a number of directions. Here’s a common example used to illustrate trigger points: When office workers sit in a head-forward posture while working at their computers, this position places the levator scapulae muscle into a non-neutral, stressed position. Trigger points develop (located where the "x" marks are) and can refer pain to the area of red shading.


I just thought everyone had pain/ tightness in their neck and shoulders!
No! Many workers may believe they just have to live with neck or shoulder pain or some other type of repetitive stress injury, when actually their pain is caused by referred pain from the levator scapulae muscles, perpetuated by their poor sitting posture.
We will teach you self-care and life changes to ensure you can keep your muscle pain away.
Here is a free video by Mary Biancalana showing you how to eliminate trigger points in the Levator Scapulae muscle.


Trigger Point Therapy

Therapists who are interested in trigger point therapy can be board certified in trigger point pressure release techniques. The National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists offers information on certifications, a supportive community of practitioners and ongoing training programs; PHS Therapeutics is also a supporter of the NAMTPT and offers its own live education and webinars with experts in the field on trigger point therapy and etiology.

  • First we identify the muscles that are the CAUSE of the problem.
  • We decide if Trigger Point Injections will be used on key muscles, along with the manual techniques. If yes, one of our Physicians will provide them within our treatment session.
  • Treatment involves a specially trained myofascial trigger point therapist applying trigger point pressure release techniques, usually with an elbow or hand, while the patient is in a supported, stretched position.
  • Gentle pressure restores biochemistry at the site to help normalize contracted muscle fibers and return them to their normal resting length.
  • Patients actively participate by providing feedback on the discomfort of the pressure and by actively contracting the muscles involved in full Range of Motion to further facilitate normal biochemical status.
  • Sessions usually take 50 minutes and also include home care suggestions.
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