Muscle pain can be debilitating. From persistent aches to acute discomfort, as many as 12% of the U.S. population suffers with some degree of chronic pain that prevents them from enjoying life to the fullest. Learning to manage pain can be a long, complicated process of trial and error. Many patients spend a great deal of time trying different combinations of medications and therapies until they find one that helps them to keep their pain at a manageable level.Dr. Justin Pierce offers trigger point injections for patients in Scottsdale, AZ suffering from chronic pain. Trigger point injections are a modern, innovative method of relieving chronic pain, such as that associated with lower back problems, myofascial pain, and fibromyalgia.
Also known as TPI’s, trigger point injections have been created with the purpose of targeting pain ‘trigger points’. These are hyper-irritable spots that trigger pain and discomfort that radiates to different parts of the body. The majority of our trigger points are located in our back and shoulders, but we can experience them anywhere on our body at any time. When you touch them, they feel tender, and the pain pulses outwards into adjacent muscle and soft tissues.Trigger points are thought to be caused by damage to the muscle, such as through overuse, overexertion, poor posture or trauma. However, they can also be affected by a variety of illnesses. Whatever the cause for your chronic pain, trigger point injections can help to alleviate your suffering.With TPI’s, the needle is inserted into the trigger point, interrupting the tension. This then allows the blood to flow more freely, which promotes healing, relieves inflammation, and allows the pain to ease. Sometimes TPI’s may be used in conjunction with an anaesthetic, such as lidocaine, or other medications which help the patient to experience pain relief more quickly, and for a greater period of time.
TPI’s can help treat a variety of different types of pain, but are particularly useful for patients who suffer from ongoing muscle pain, chronic tension headaches, and fibromyalgia. However, they are not recommended for patients who are taking blood thinners, are pregnant, have bleeding disorders or any sort of active infection.In order to recommend TPI’s, you will first need to attend a consultation appointment at our offices. During this meeting, we will discuss your symptoms and medical history, and you will have a physical examination, so that we can determine where your trigger points are located. We can then use this information to ascertain whether trigger point injections are the best course of pain management for your individual circumstances.
The number of TPI’s that any patient needs is subjective, and based on their individual needs, and what response they have to the treatment. There have been cases where an isolated trigger point is successfully treated with just one injection. However, if you have multiple trigger points, or ongoing chronic pain conditions, then you may be recommended for a treatment program that consists of a number of appointments.The benefit of TPI therapy is that the treatment program can be amended easily to suit the response of the patient, and can be restarted if the patient suffers a relapse in the severity of their condition.
If you have been suffering from chronic pain, trigger point injections could help alleviate your discomfort, and help you enable life to the fullest extent once more. Call Valley Spinal Care today at 602-362-7900 to learn more about trigger point injections and schedule a consultation.
