Trigger Point Injections:
Stretching and strengthening a muscle or manual manipulation may sufficiently release a trigger point. When the tissue is bound too tightly an injection can be performed to release the trigger point. Imagine a knot in your hair or a thin gold chain tangled into a tight knot. These are similar to a tangle of damaged muscle fibers. A physiatrist can use a needle to untangle the fibers releasing the painful trigger point. Immediately after the procedure the fibers are still curled and damaged but now released they are more likely to heal and realign properly. Post-injection stretching and superficial modalities such as ice will aid in further healing.
The therapeutic aspect of the injection is the manipulation of the needle through the trigger point until the tangle is released. Medications may be used to augment the results. Dr. Jaff uses anesthetic (lidocaine and marcaine) that offers numerous benefits. First by making the area numb, one can know immediately what pain was caused by the trigger point. This also makes the injection procedure a more comfortable experience. The anesthetic fluid may also act as an assist in stretching and untangling the trigger point. The injection procedure itself, known as needling and infiltration, causes a small amount of tissue damage. When appropriate Dr. Jaff also uses a small dose of steroid to treat any damage and resulting inflammation caused by the injection itself.
The risks of trigger point injections include bruising at the site of injection, and the potential for infection present in any injection procedure. Clean and sterile techniques are used to avoid infection just as when one gets a simple blood test. Aedditional risks may exist depending on the site of injection. If a trigger point is located near any organ or nerve, these may be affected. Dr. Jaff is very careful to advise her patients of any and all possible risks before obtaining consent for the procedure.
