WHAT IS A TRIGGER POINT?
A trigger point is a portion of the muscle that has become a source of pain and dysfunction. It usually consists of a nodule or band that can be felt by pressing the skin over the muscle. When the trigger point is pressed, it will feel sore and a cause pain which extends to another body part (for example: a trigger point in the buttocks often refers to leg).

WHAT IS INJECTED?
Commonly 1-2 cc of numbing medication like Marcaine is injected with a small dose of corticosteroid like Depo-Medrol®.

WHAT IS ACCOMPLISHED BY INJECTING A TRIGGER POINT?
Injecting a trigger point can help to eliminate it. The injections break the fibrous bands in the nodule and allow healing to take place faster.

WHAT IS THE INJECTION LIKE?
While the trigger point is being injected, you may briefly experience the same pain that has been previously aching. This pain may be quite sharp, but very brief. Immediately afterward, there's often a marked reduction in the typical pain pattern. There may also be more freedom of movement of the involved muscles with less stiffness. After the early decrease in pain, some people go through a brief period of muscle soreness and stiffness, but this usually does not last longer than 24 hours. 2-3 days after your injection, you should notice a decrease in your pain along with increased freedom of movement.

HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO RECIEVE INJECTIONS?
In general, depending on the response these may be repeated at weekly intervals.
How many trigger points will be injected during a single session?
The first time you receive an injection, your doctor will probably limit the number of trigger points injected to 1-2. This will allow you to become acclimated to the experience, and it will allow both you and your doctor to discover how your muscles respond to the injections. After 3-4 days, based on your response to the first injection(s), you and your doctor can plan how to proceed with any future injections.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL PREPARATIONS?
Before you receive a trigger point injection, it is beneficial if you know how to perform exercises to stretch the involved muscles. Then, after the injections, you should immediately perform them once per hour for the remainder of that day.

HOW LONG DOES THE EFFECT OF INJECTION LAST?
The beneficial effect of the injections depends on the adequacy of your overall treatment program, including physical therapy and your regular performance of home exercises. When the injections are done in this context, a single series of injections should provide long-lasting benefit. Some individuals, despite diligent effort to performing the exercises, experience chronic recurrences and require more injections.

ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS?
Overall, this is a procedure with minimal risks, although no invasive procedure is totally risk free. Potential adverse effects include temporary muscle soreness, infection, bleeding, weakness in the injected muscles up to 45 minutes (rare), or partial collapse of the long (extremely rare).