Very often, you can鈥檛 manage or relieve continuing pain with at-home methods, over-the-counter pain relievers or other alternative methods. When you visit a top-rated pain doctor in Manhattan, you first receive a diagnosis so you know where your pain originates, and then you鈥檙e provided the latest pain treatment options available, such as trigger point injections. At New York pain management, your pain doctor listens to your concerns and works diligently to help you live pain-free.
Triggers aren鈥檛 just psychological. Trigger points are small knots that form in your skeletal muscles or in the tissue surrounding muscles called fascia. Trigger points can lead to chronic pain, headaches and other muscle pain.
Trigger points are sensitive, so any pressure on them causes localized pain or referred pain. You feel referred pain in another part of your body, away from the trigger point or injury. Trigger points may occur due to a number of factors, such as:
- Micro-traumas from repetitive motion
- Acute injury
- Muscle tension from stress
- Inflammation
Triggered Chain of Events
Trigger points form when a normal muscle, one that relaxes and contracts, is strained or stressed and can鈥檛 relax. This causes a focal spot or knot in the affected muscle. In turn, these spots can be the reason for many painful conditions, including:
How Trigger Point Injections Work
Trigger point injections give you relief. The process puts an injectable substance into a contracted muscle, causing it to relax and lengthen. The procedure itself and the chemical reactions of the injectable ease muscle pain.
If you have symptomatic trigger points, which means trigger points that give you pain at rest, are tender when touched and have a specific referred pain pattern, then myofascial trigger point injections may help. Other criteria include:
- Having a trigger point that produces a twitch response
- Not being able to get relief from other treatments
Diagnosing Your Triggers
If you have persistent or worsening deep muscle aches, tender knots in your muscles, or difficulty sleeping due to pain, trigger point injections from your top-rated pain management doctor at injury clinic New York may provide relief. Your doctor takes a brief medical history and gives you an examination. Both tell your pain doctor if you have a trigger point.
Diagnosis is based mostly on your pain pattern, but it also includes the most advanced diagnostic equipment and fast, accurate lab testing, when needed. Trigger point injections may be recommended based on your history, particularly when other at-home treatment methods have failed.
The Trigger Point Injection Process
Myofascial trigger point injections for muscle pain and injections to treat other symptoms are quick outpatient procedures. They don鈥檛 require sedation, and they can be done at a pain management clinic in Manhattan near you. Be sure to tell your pain specialist if:
- You have a bleeding disorder.
- You have an allergy to latex or lidocaine.
- You鈥檙e taking medication for an infection.
Trigger point injections for migraines and other chronic pain issues can be dangerous in inexperienced hands. You can鈥檛 have the procedure if you鈥檝e taken aspirin or other blood thinners within three days of the procedure. If you suffer from an acute muscle trauma, you should also look elsewhere for treatment.
From Start to Finish
The myofascial trigger point injection procedure only takes a few minutes. Your pain management doctor has you lying or sitting down comfortably so that your muscles are relaxed. After either palpating the muscle for the knot or using ultrasound to locate it, your pain doctor cleans the area, pinches the skin above the knot, and inserts the needle one to two centimeters away from the point at a 30-degree angle. A small amount of anesthetic is injected into the trigger point, and it鈥檚 then distributed around the area.
The top NYC pain management specialist repeats this procedure until he no longer sees a twitch response or you no longer feel the knot. Your doctor may also apply pressure to spread the injectable around. After he withdraws the needle, he applies a bandage.
Pain after Trigger Point Injections
Pain after trigger point injections is minimal and should only last a few minutes. When done properly, a trigger point inject has no risks or complications. You鈥檙e able to leave soon after the procedure. Results vary with each individual, but you may finally experience freedom from pain. The effects last for weeks. Because of the ease of the procedure, setting up an ongoing appointment for trigger point injections is fast and simple.
To reduce your risk of complications, your pain doctor advises that you rest and avoid activities that may cause strain, such as standing for long periods, lifting heavy objects and running or other strenuous exercise.
Following the Procedure
Ideally, trigger point pain disappears after the first injection. This is likely if you had an isolated point of pain and you refrain from the same repetitive movement that led to the discomfort. If you receive an injection to treat a chronic condition like myofascial pain syndrome or fibromyalgia, you can return for regular treatments as you need them, even monthly.
Be mindful of your symptoms and let your pain doctor know if you have any lingering effects like a fever or increased pain. You can experience pain relief with a simple and fast trigger point injection for migraines, chronic pain, and other pain issues. Get started on your path to a pain-free life. Contact the best pain management doctors in NYC. Muscle out your muscle pain with a myofascial trigger point injection.
Leon Reyfman, MD, is a top-rated, best-in-class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award-winning expert and contributor to prominent media outlets.
Dr. Leon Reyfman has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain. He has been named a 鈥渢op pain management doctor in New York鈥� and one of 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Top Doctors鈩⑩�� for advanced sports injury treatments. Among other accolades, he was voted by peers as a 鈥�Castle Connolly Top Doctors鈩�鈥� and 鈥�New York Super Doctors鈩⑩��. Dr. Leon Reyfman was a part of the medical team at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.